What your handwriting says about you

Size matters

While graphology is largely considered a pseudoscience, there are nuggets of observable and measurable truth in there. Sometimes trends do occur for sociological reasons, or if someone’s profession dictates certain norms. There is even some evidence to suggest that outgoing, confident people write much larger than introverts.

How you’re feeling

Strong emotions can often produce an adrenaline reaction, which floods your arms and legs with energy to either run away or start swinging. That isn’t graphology, that’s physiology, which is real. Your hands shaking is one of the most common responses to this, which will show in both the pressure and regularity of the writing.

Angry points

Pointed and angled letters are said to imply traits in the realm of tense and intelligent, but anxious. The scrawl-type angled letters are likely a result of trying to write too fast, cramming in as many words and details as possible, whereas others might take only general bullet points and still absorb the same information.

Dotting your I’s

There is a connection between the way you dot your I’s and aspects of your personality. Generally, a little spot of ink is enough to clearly show it’s an I, so going further than that with a circle or a heart implies a conscious effort to stand out, to take an extra little step to ensure your impression is made.

Fast and furious

It’s often suggested that slow writers tend to operate a little slower than other people. There isn’t a link between cognitive ability and wrist dexterity, but people who still write slowly into adulthood could have been the ones who would ask a teacher to repeat themselves, instead of speeding up. Meaning they could, theoretically, have more confidence.

Space to breathe

The spacing between letters is also something that changes from person to person. Some people condense the space down and write closer together, while others tend to leave plenty of space between the letters. Supposedly, this is a reflection of your social preferences, showing whether you’re a people person or more independent.

Your signature moves

Many people suggest that signatures can tell you a lot about somebody. A clear and legible sign is said to suggest confidence, while a messy or hard-to-read one is thought to imply you’re a private person and difficult to read. Take it with a grain of salt, of course, but now you can google your favorite celeb’s signature and read their mind.

I loop

A lowercase I when written in cursive can either be done from the bottom and retraced, or illustrated as a swirly loop. Handwriting experts will tell you this is a reflection of the space you give yourself, with a wide loop being spontaneous and relaxed. A tight narrow loop or a retraced I can mean you limit yourself, and have trouble reaching out.

What your slant means

Regardless of whether you write in cursive or block, you might have noticed your handwriting isn’t perfectly straight. Graphology would suggest that a lack of a slant shows you are methodical and focused and don’t fall for distractions. A left slant is thought to reflect introversion, while a right slant would be the opposite, you’re a people person.

Your ambitions

According to, again, the largely discredited science, the height with which you cross your T can be representative of how you perceive your place in life. A bold, straight line across the peak shows ambition, self-esteem, and drive. The lower you go with your horizontal slash, the more morally and spiritually evil you are. Never use an underscore.

E-loops

It’s not a breakfast cereal for zoomers, we’re talking about how much space you leave in your lowercase e’s. As one of the coolest vowels, you tend to write ‘e’s a lot, which according to graphology helps it become the kind of subconscious action from which you can conclude things. A wide loop is seen as relaxed and spontaneous, while narrow ones imply skepticism.

Straight forward

Writing that lacks any kind of visible slant and is very much form over function, is seen as calculating and logical. These people tend to be in positions, where they are used to having to write in front of crowds and their words must be clear and legible. This could be people in business or teachers.

How tall you are

The universal indicator of “I am writing don’t bother me” is putting your head down so intently it seems the page contains the secret to immortality. The reason we do this is so we can see and read it, our eye level likes to match the text. The same is true when writing on a wall, it tends to be around the eye-level.

Your margin calls

Graphology would posit that the left margin is tied to our thought of the past, and the right is about our preoccupation with the future. The closer you start your text to the left-hand side, the more your actions are influenced by your experiences and memories. Leaving a lot of space towards the right side shows apprehension or uncertainty.

Authority

A lot of the insights the field produces are based on the analysis of the handwriting of historical figures. We tend to know, based on the fact they are a historical figure, a lot about them and have their scribbles archived. Fascist Dictator Monthly’s Mr September, Adolf Hitler, had t’s that sharp angle right, which graphologists say is indicative of an authoritative mind.

Cursive snakes

Graphologists deserve credit for being able to read the kind of writing that a doctor would have to squint at, and a cursive ‘s’ can be illegible from certain people. According to the field, smaller and rounded s’s could mean you are a people pleaser who tries to avoid confrontation.

Your mental health

One thing that has been proven is how certain mental illnesses and conditions can affect your writing. People dealing with depression were found to use much less pressure on the pen, it also took them longer to move their hands around the page. Other conditions like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder have been noted to influence your penmanship.

Speed scrawling

Writing fast and legible text is a skill that some professions require. Many journalists still learn shorthand, and court stenographers have to keep up with complicated legal terminology. As an observation in more natural settings, fast writers are thought to be more impatient and hate wasting time.

How resourceful you are

It may only be about one very specific aspect of your life, but it’s still nice to know whether or not you’re making the best use of your time and space. Typically people who write very pragmatically and efficiently apply similar rules to their decision-making. Graphologists call this “Economic” writing.

Your sensuality

The core issue with Graphology, and all pseudosciences, is that they’re built on true conclusions of particular findings, which are then applied elsewhere but in reverse. They apply the conclusions and then work backward, the opposite of the scientific method. In a clear instance of someone working while horny, Graphologists claim full lower-bodied letters represent eroticism.

How big your ego is

We associate ego with wanting to stand out, usually in some way we react negatively. Some handwriting traits that are associated with those who hold themselves in ever-so-high esteem include large T’s with forceful lining. It is also connected with flourishes beneath the signature, like a wavy underline.

How funny you are

Instead of analyzing the content of the words to determine how funny they are, graphologists propose a different solution. This trait is suggested by the presence of lots of forceful horizontal lines, like would occur across T’s, L’s and Z’s for example. There also tends to be a wave present somewhere in the crossed line.

Guilty G’s

This little hook at the end of letters with a tail is referred to by graphologists as “the felon’s claw”. It allegedly appears in both the majority of prison inmates as well as younger women, leading to some disagreements. They agree the common factor is some sense of guilt. Sorry, they believe the common factor is a sense of guilt.

If you hide your secrets

Writers who add extra tiny loops in places they aren’t necessary, often as the pen strokes away from an O or a R for example, are said to be very secretive. It applies in reverse too, where large and open letters, especially O’s that aren’t properly closed off, are associated with an inability to keep to yourself.

If you’re a serial killer

Most serial killers, or at least most the ones that are caught, aren’t diagnosed with mental illnesses. We recognize common characteristics between them and some of those do involve mental traits and behaviours, but they’re profiled extensively and there is no consistent diagnosis that links the majority. Except if they mix capital letters and normal letters, which graphologists say is 80% of them.

Anorexia

According to graphologists, a teenage girl’s writing getting progressively smaller over time is one of the biggest indicators of anorexia. The logic here is clear, as their body dysmorphia develops and they begin to see themselves as larger and larger, they subconsciously incorporate their desire to shrink into their writing.

Bulimia

Bulimia is said to manifest in a more childish writing style, with very wide, heavy letters. It’s worth, noting since eating disorders are so complicated, that graphology took off as a kind of affirmation tool, as budget cuts meant the limited time with patients had to be better optimized. It’s described as “soft data” to be considered but not base decisions on.

The i is in the details

Not to bully this one man specifically but, at 62k subscribers on YouTube, there are smaller fish out there. The claim being made is that a lowercase “i” with a loop shows somebody who incorrectly believes they have everybody figured out. To quote: “They’re seeing stuff out there that isn’t really there.” Thank you noted graphologist and hypnotist, Mike Mandel; very cool.

Your gender

A 2003 study showed somewhere between 54-90% of participants can correctly guess the gender of a writer, based on the neatness of their handwriting. That does sound impressive, but the sample group where children and it’s a 50/50 (as presented in the study) guess. The girls were on average better spellers though, which is something we can objectively measure.

Your love situation

If you’ve been having some trouble in the bedroom, you know, the “it happens to everyone” kind, or the “don’t touch my minerals, please” kind, you might be taking it out on your K’s. A sharp arrow of lines that pierce the body of the letter, is a sign that you’re romantic life is unstable. Probably because you spent so long looking at K’s.

If you’re telling lies

To graphologists, lies written on paper function the same way as vocally telling lies sometimes does. Some people won’t think ahead and have to pause to think while talking, which may or may not be an indication of deception, there’s no way to know. Large gaps in writing are said to imply the same thing, that being big fibs.

Your opinions on seemingly everything

Once again it comes down to size, which in this instance is said to reflect a person’s opinion of the concept. The more somebody holds a person or object in high esteem, the larger the word will be written. All those massive HELP signs you see people hold up in car windows must be about how much they love the Beatles fifth (and worst) album.

Your trajectory

The slope of handwriting is also analyzed for potential meanings. A general upwards trajectory that raises away from the line is considered to mean that you have a positive and pro-active outlook towards life and the future. A downwards slope means active depression, or that you’re generally trending downwards in your mood.

Shifting slants

Because slants in the text are considered to be the kind of emotional momentum that drives the pen forward, mixes in them are also given mixed meanings. If a sentence begins with a forward slant, for example, you’ve started writing with enthusiasm that trumps your logic. If it cancels out or even reverses, this implies you have stopped and considered what you’re saying.

How angry you are

This one does have an interesting psychological explanation, but it’s not exactly graphology. You might have heard of Bouba and Kiki, two shapes, one splodgy, and one spikey, which study participants are asked to label. A majority of people will label the spikey shape Kiki, as we perceive these sounds as sharp, and vice versa for Bouba. Nothing to do with subconscious anger.

Pressure of passion

You would only tell this with certain pens, but intense changes in pressure are associated with some strong emotions. These are mostly impulsive ones like lust, aggression, or some kind of investment in the words. A lack of definition and light pressure indicates anxiety or apprehension toward whatever the subject is.

What’s consciously important to you

Extra marks, like stars, asterisks, or smiley faces, do carry some additional weight because their inclusion is always intentional. There are likely some demographic trends behind which kinds of people use bullet points over numbered lists, and somebody boring enough should get on that. As for the emotional intent, it could mean anything from an honest extension of happiness, to “don’t turn around, just run.”

That Freud was right

A beautiful marriage between two largely vibe-based fields, psychoanalysis makes its way into your hearts. Particularly the hearts that older women draw, which alongside some signatures and squiggles, apparently evoke phallic imagery. Interestingly, the two groups interested in drawing genitals are very conscious teenage boys and subconscious older women.

Your readability reflects your true feelings

It’s said that if a word is consistently written in a way that’s sloppy and imprecise, the writer does not put particular weight behind them. Emotional weight, that is, they don’t truly believe what they’re etching down. Notes only tend to be written in a rush anyway, otherwise, you would just text them surely.

“Weird handwriting equals weird person”

Straight from the hypno-horses mouth. The return of the King and his incredible insight into the human condition. If you write “weird”, however, that subjective trait is measured, then you are a weird person. You’re a weird person, Mike. You think all criminals have a bit in their brain that makes their lowercase g’s a sign of aggression.