Write Carefully: Your handwriting can reveal hidden dimensions about you

Hyderabad: “Experts can find over 5,000 personality traits just by analysing handwriting,” Srinivas Rao said while going through a handwriting sample. Although it was scary that something as mundane as handwriting could expose one’s personality so much, it was also equally intriguing.

Srinivas Rao, a skilled graphologist and handwriting analyst, spoke to NewsMeter about the apparently seemingly insignificant details of writing which can reveal so much about a person.

There is a disclaimer though. Rao recognises that the information he presented about analysing handwriting is only a general overview and will not apply to everyone. However, these characteristics might reveal aspects of the person that they may not have considered previously.

Psychology of handwriting

Graphology, the discipline of analysing handwriting for personality traits, has been present since the days of Aristotle. It’s now utilised for anything from criminal investigations to better understanding one’s health. Handwriting analysis is also used by certain organisations to test new workers for compatibility.

Even though we are all taught to write in a specific manner at school, there is no evidence that individuals continue to write in the manner in which they were taught, hence everyone’s handwriting is unique to the individual. In fact, studies have shown that as soon as someone learns to write, they begin to change the sizes and forms of letters to suit their own preferences.

But why is this the case? Because, our personalities influence the evolution of our handwriting, and handwriting is a psychological pattern conveyed through symbols on a page, each symbol is as unique as a person’s DNA.

Can handwriting determine your personality?

Graphologists believe that analysing a person’s handwriting may reveal a lot of information, ranging from medical problems like schizophrenia and high blood pressure to psychological qualities like violence and dominance.

How is handwriting analysis used?

Criminology: In criminology, forensic graphology is utilised to connect a person to evidence at a crime scene. After obtaining a sample of the suspect’s handwriting, it is compared against evidence such as messages, notes, or signatures left at the crime scene.

Medicine: Graphology in the medical profession can be used to investigate handwriting for indicators of disorders that harm the nervous system and brain.

Therapy: Though it is less utilised, handwriting analysis can be used to measure patients’ personalities and qualities during treatment.

Business: Another uncommon application is in business. Some businesses use handwriting as part of an interview or pre-employment exam to evaluate whether an applicant is a good fit for a particular role.

Common Misconceptions: Some individuals use the phrase handwriting analysis improperly to denote a forensic study of a document. For almost a century, this has been a contentious process.

Despite some advocates’ attempts to provide anecdotal evidence of favourable testimonials as justification for using handwriting analysis for personality evaluation, studies have failed to validate the validity asserted by proponents. As a result, the practice is not commonly relied on or employed.

Here is how graphologists break down every curve and line in a word to under the writer’s personality.

Size of Letters and words

- Large Letters:

You want to feel understood and noticed.

You’re people-oriented.

- Small letters:

You have strong focus and concentration.

You are introverted.

Slant

- No Slant:

You are ruled by logic, not emotion.

You are very solid and pragmatic.

- Right Slant:

You focus too much on matters of the heart.

You are friendly, sentimental, and impulsive.

You highly value friends and family.

- Left Slant:

You prefer to work with things over people.

You are introspective and reserved.

You’re more ‘me-oriented’

Pressure

- Heavy pressure:

You have strong emotions and feel things very intensely.

You can be quick to react.

- Light pressure:

You move easily from place to place.

You don’t wear yourself out emotionally.

Loops on T’s and L’s

- Looped:

You have big hopes and dreams for the future.

You are sensitive to criticism and may be paranoid.

- Retraced:

You may have had your hopes and dreams squelched.

You are a good worker, disciplined, and self-controlled.

Loops on Y’s and G’s

- Slender loop: You are selective about who you call your friends.

- Broad loop: You have a large circle of friends.

- Long loop: You love to travel.

- Short loop: You are a homebody

Spacing between letters

- Connected letters: You are intelligent and intuitive.

- Non-connected letters: You are logical, and methodical and make decisions carefully.

Dotted I’s

- Big dot: You are childlike and playful, have artistic abilities, and like to stand out.

- Small dot: You don't like clutter and pay grave attention to detail.

Crossed T’s

- High cross: You have high goals and self-esteem.

- Low cross: You aim low and can tend to be insecure.

Spacing between lines

- Little to no spacing: You have poor time management.

- Even Spacing: You are aware of boundaries.

Now that you understand how to analyse handwriting, try analysing yours. Write ‘The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog’ and use what you have learnt now to analyse the handwriting and yourself.

What does psychology say about bad handwriting?

According to handwriting psychology, terrible handwriting is complicated and can imply a variety of factors.

For starters, it might indicate that a person has a lot of emotional baggage. Furthermore, terrible writers may be unstable, have a nasty temper, or be emotionally explosive. Some even believe that poor handwriting might indicate animosity, harshness, or even aggression.

This developed a concept because of persons like Jack the Ripper, who had terrible penmanship. Although most people believe these are exceptional situations.

Sloppy handwriting, more typically, indicates insecurity and low self-esteem, but it may also indicate self-governance and a desire to be assessed as an individual rather than complying with a conventional manner of doing things.

But don’t despair if you have bad handwriting; there are various solutions. People who do not care to write correctly are regarded to be independent thinkers who do not want to conform to society’s standards.

Similarly, it might demonstrate a person’s creativity because many journalists and novelists have handwriting that runs in every direction. Others believe that persons with unusual handwriting are strange, as was the case with the famous pianist Paganini. He was recognised for being unusual and inventive, therefore he falls into both categories.

So, having lousy handwriting doesn’t make you any less unique; quite the opposite! Consider Beethoven and Freud as examples. Both of these individuals had dreadful writing yet were inventive and creative.