Handwriting a revealing look at the genuine you

Now that you’ve mailed all your Christmas cards – with your handwritten greeting and your signature – it’s probably the wrong time to tell you how much your handwriting, even just your signature, says about you.

“A single sentence can provide insight into a person’s background, psychology and behavior,” says Michelle Dresbold, well-known handwriting expert and author of “Sex, Lies and Handwriting.” She’ also a syndicated columnist of a weekly column, “The Handwriting Doctor.”

Many would agree that handwriting analysis is a fascinating subject. It makes a terrific hobby, too, and guarantees that you’ll be the center of every gathering. Although it can get very technical, the basics of handwriting analysis are easy to learn and even the basics reveal plenty about the writer.

Handwriting is very logical – even people not trained in handwriting analysis can see a lot – if they will just notice a few things. Is the writing messy or orderly? Is it legible? Are the letters large (confident), tall (reaching), short (keeping a low profile), or small (don’t notice me)? Was it written slowly, methodically? Is it artistic? Is the writing a rather slapdash, hasty scribble with lots of sharp points? These things say just what you would imagine.

A couple of Sundays ago, Nancy Giles, a CBS correspondent, gave a pithy on-air commentary about how much she enjoys receiving a handwritten letter from a friend and that she appreciates this more than anything else a friend can give her. She added that she couldn’t help but reminisce about how her brother would always dot his i’s with a little circle – and how the handwriting of her elder relatives was so shaky. “Handwriting says something about someone,” she opined.

Giles said a mouthful. Handwriting doesn’t say just “something,” it says it all. Handwriting is as distinctive as a fingerprint to the trained eye. Handwriting never lies, and the analysis of the handwriting of some of the world’s most dangerous criminals is helping the FBI and the CIA draw accurate profiles of them.

Major corporations have come around, too. It’s now routine for many companies to have the handwriting of prospective employees professionally analyzed. This actually helps both prospective employee and employer as it enables companies to hire people whose temperament and background are not only consistent with culture of their corporate environment but with the job description as well.

Plus, such undesirable tendencies as hostility, rage and deceitfulness, are laid bare to the handwriting analyst. That’s vital information.

Illegible signatures that cannot be deciphered properly are a good example of bad manners, rudeness and thoughtlessness on the part of the writer. They show that the writer cares little about his or her readers. (Hmmm, doctors?)

Handwriting with large letters and wide loops shows that the writer is friendly and is likely to be an extrovert. Flamboyant writing usually indicates a flamboyant person; it’s also seen as a bid for attention and approval. Small, unpretentious writing reveals one who does not care what others think, or seek approval or attention. Someone whose writing goes uphill is usually optimistic. Downhill … pessimistic. Pressure of the pen indicates the depth of feeling – the harder the writer presses down on the paper, the more emotional that person.

The way a writer dots their i’s and crosses their t’s are big flags. That little circle above the i shows creativity. If a person stabs at the dot, rendering a hasty dash, it indicates irritability. Whereas, a well-formed dot right over the i shows that the writer pays attention to detail. A well-crossed t at midpoint shows a practical person; too high means lofty, impractical goals.

So take a better look at the signatures on the Christmas cards you received. What do they really say? A signature that’s underlined shows self-confidence and if it’s wavy or curved it shows a sense of humor, fun or silliness.

Placing your signature far to the right, below the message on a card or letter is normal and indicates you adhere to what you were taught and are forward-thinking. Placing your signature smack dab in the middle of the page shows that you want to be in the center of everything and to know everything that’s going on around you. Signature on left? This can mean self-doubt and clinging to the past and the familiar.

Signatures with large, flamboyant and inflated capitals used next to small, well-formed lower case letters show a desire for fame and attention, along with the ability to manage small details. Many politicians, famous folks and musicians sign their names this way, i.e. Luciano Pavarotti, Leonard Bernstein and talk show psychologist Dr. Toni Grant.

The study of handwriting analysis is not only fun, it is captivating. Will next year find you ordering your Christmas cards with your name imprinted on them?