What Does Your Handwriting Say About You?

Your style of handwriting can say much about you as a person. Are you organized, rushed, a leader or dishonest? Your handwriting can reveal your personality as well as your darkest secrets!

Graphologists consider many factors in determining handwriting traits. Is the writing orderly or disorderly, crowded or dispersed on the page? Do you dot your “i’s” with hearts or use large sweeping tails on the ends of words? Do you use all the space allowed or write in itty bitty letters?

Does your signature slant to the left or the right? Do you sign in cursive or print, or a combination of both?

Marc Seifer has written The Definitive book of Handwriting Analysis with in-depth information on the subject. Graphology is the study of handwriting and handwriting analysis is a tool used by law enforcement as well as an assessment tool useful in business. Handwriting can reveal personality and behavioral traits which makes it useful for recruitment screening, team-building, career planning, and counseling.

According to the National Pen Company, your writing can indicate more than 5,000 personality traits. Everything from the size of your letters to the way your letters slant can indicate different emotions and characteristics. For instance, if your letters tend to slant toward the right, you’re probably open to new experiences, but if your letters slant to the left, you like to keep to yourself. If your characters have no tilt, then you are probably a logical and practical person. Different letter loops even have different meanings, with narrow l’s indicating feelings of restriction and tension, while narrow e’s signify a person who tends to be skeptical of others.

For example, handwriting that is generally upright indicates independence while a left slant shows reserve. Wide spacing between words suggests a need for breathing space while words placed closely together may indicate a wish to be close to others.

With technological advances, emails, text messages and typed letters are becoming much more common than handwritten ones. It’s easy to see why: These forms of communication are easier to write and allow for much quicker communication than snail mail. For me, though, a handwritten note allows for a much more personal connection than a text message ever will. Whether you’re sending business thank you cards to your employees or sympathy cards to dear friends, writing them yourself adds intimacy and feels much more genuine.

However, handwriting is also interesting in and of itself. The way you write can exhibit your own personal characteristics and quirks in a way that typing words on a screen can’t. In fact, according to the science of graphology, an individual’s handwriting can display more than 5,000 personality traits. So what does your handwriting say about you? Take a look at some of the common quirks often studied during handwriting analysis:

Analyze yourself

Try looking at features of your own writing. What does it say about you? Knowing what your handwriting says about your character can help you recognize certain shortcomings and work to improve those aspects of your life. For example, wide cursive s’s suggest you’re not following your heart in your career or other pursuits. If you find you write your s’s this way, contemplate this idea and determine whether there’s something you’d rather be doing. If you realize the analysis is right, consider ways you can work to improve your situation and start chasing your aspirations.

Want to see how your signature measures up? Take this Handwriting Personality Quiz. Just sign your name in the box provided, answer 5 short questions and see what your signature says about you!

Components of Graphology Analysis

The slant

The way letters slant is one of the first things a graphologist looks at when analyzing someone’s handwriting. A slant to the right is very common and indicates that the writer is open, friendly and communicative. A slant to the left is less common and may signify that the person writing is more closed-off, reserved and potentially even rebellious. If the handwriting is mostly straight, the person writing is likely to be independent and logical.

The size

Large and bold lettering can indicate an outgoing nature, although it’s also sometimes found in people who are putting on an air of confidence that they don’t really feel. Smaller handwriting may signify the exact opposite: a person who’s more introspective and timid. Small handwriting can also be found in people that are more focused and academic, rather than social. If your handwriting is average, it may mean you’re well-adjusted and balanced.

The word spacing

The word spacing refers to how much room people leave between letters. Take a look at your letters – are they far apart or right on top of each other? Wider spacing often indicates someone who’s lonely or intellectual. Narrow spaces or letters that are tightly connected could signify a person who’s careful and methodical.

The pressure

How hard to you press against the paper when writing things by hand? If you use heavy pressure, it could mean you’re more committed, emotional and quick to react. Lighter pressure typically indicates that the writer is sensitive but able to go with the flow.

The zones

Letters can be divided into two zones: upper and lower. Upper zones are the taller letters, like l, h and t. Letters that dangle below the lines make up the lower zone, including y, g and p. If your upper zone letters are very tall, you may be ambitious or goal-oriented. Looped upper zone letters indicate someone who’s creative and imaginative, while narrow or retraced upper zones could suggest the writer is more detail-oriented and less imaginative.

If your lower zones are a cradle, you may like to avoid confrontation, while a full loop could indicate someone who’s high in energy or needy.

Your signature

The next time you’re signing your personalized stationery, stop and take a look at your signature. A person’s signature is one of the most personal parts of their handwriting, which means yours can say a lot about you. The legibility of a person’s signature is one of the most interesting factors to analyze. Graphologists say that an illegible signature may signify the person has a lot of self-confidence and feels their identity is well-known. On the other hand, it could mean the writer is trying to conceal their identity.

How is graphology used?

The study of handwriting can be used in a variety of ways. For instance, analysis of a signature or letter can be used in a crime investigation. So, if a piece of evidence includes a handwritten note, a graphologist or similar expert may be called in to analyze the writing and compare it to various samples of a suspect’s writing.

Analyzing a person’s writing can also be utilized in health fields as well. According to the National Parkinson Foundation, certain changes in handwriting, like smaller and more cramped words, can be an indicator of the disease. Other health-related conditions handwriting can help identify include high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, and general energy levels. These various issues are identified based on the amount of pressure applied with the pen, the slanting of the words and irregular writing changes.

Knowing how to analyze a person’s handwriting can also come in handy when you’re trying to hire a new employee. Interviewees often put on a persona because they are trying to promote their strengths and skim over weaknesses. However, if employers know how to analyze certain aspects of writing, they can get a hint about whether the person they’re speaking to is responsible and determined or sporadic and relaxed.