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Graphology: Can Handwriting Styles Say Something About You?

Hey folks, take a few moments to think about this: it’s always entertaining to put stock in all kinds of ideologies that are fun and quirky, especially the kinds that apparently can give “deep reveals” about one’s personality. What does this have to do with writing? Well, graphology studies do, of course!

Graphology is the scientific (or, preferably, psuedo-scientific) observation of a person’s handwriting style–according to this, professional graphologists claim that they can accurately pinpoint the mental state of each subject during the time they were writing, as well as reveal personality traits. Are you ever curious why your Y’s go straight down instead of curling in a loop near the bottom? Or why you never dot your I’s? Let’s take a look at some of the most common interpretations of handwriting below, according to a post on RealSimple.com.

(Note that what’s usually analyzed is your CURSIVE writing, not regular print.)

Slanted Writing

  • Slanting to the right: You’re totally open-minded, globally aware, and are a super socializer.
  • Slanting to the left: You enjoy independently working. Note this: If you’re right-handed, you have rebellious characteristics!
  • No slant: You’ve got a logical mind and don’t wear your emotions on your sleeve.

Letter Size 

  • Big: You’re an attention hog! Future/current celebrities tend to have giant signatures and whatnot, so maybe you’re heading in that direction.
  • Average: You’ve got everything under control and can adapt well.
  • Small: You’re adorably shy and own killer focus skills.

Loopies 

  • Closed for the letter “L” (as in up-strokes and down-strokes overlap): Somehow, you’re restricting yourself and bottle too many things inside.
  • Open for the letter “L”: You’re pretty chilled and are quite spontaneous!
  • Closed or small for the letter “E”: You’re a bit unbelieving and aren’t easily rattled by emotional situations.
  • Open or wide for the letter “E”: You’re innovative and not at all held back by anything!

Your “S” Shape

  • Round: You’re peaceful, negotiable, and don’t like to get into arguments!
  • Pointy at the top: You’re an intellectual who likes to learn new subjects all the time–also, the higher and pointer the top of your “s” is, the more ambitious and Slytherin-like you are.
  • Open at the bottom: For those who don’t connect their “s” bums, this means you’re neglecting the wishes of your heart and emotional side.

Try out a sentence or two using these lines below and then compare them to the “personality” descriptions above to figure out where you land:

“I must not tell lies.”

&

“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.”

What’s the diagnosis? Did you get a description that totally gets you?  Is there some validation that how you write can reveal a ton about your personal state of mind and pattern? Or is it nothing more than bogus made up for a fun old time?


–I’m Andra R., and I’m currently an EDGE intern at the Writing Center where I’m starting to get the hang of how things are run here and what each group within the UCWbL does. And I’m lovin’ it!

By the way, after taking this test, I’ve got no slant, fairly average-to-small size letters, closed letter Ls, small E loops, and pointy S’s that occasionally open at the bottom. Honestly, I feel like it got me pretty accurately. How about you?

2 replies on “Graphology: Can Handwriting Styles Say Something About You?”

Thanks for this post, Andra! I think it’s really interesting and fun, and gives the reader a chance to explore a lesser-known topic. 🙂

Hi Andra. I performed a graphology test in high school (and I somehow remember the results), so it was interesting to see how I have changed over the years. I think the analysis was pretty accurate. As I was checking what it said about me, I looked at the other ones, and I felt like they didn’t describe me at all.

I also couldn’t help but thinking about what would happen if one’s handwriting was a combination of categories. For example, can an “s” be round but also open? Should that person pick from both possibilities?

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