Personality analysis is a guilty pleasure for millennials and, in the digital age, handwriting seems like a romantic lost art, so a combination of analysis and penmanship is hard to resist. As we've become pros at tapping away on keyboards and phones, we've grown less reliant on the pen. But the way we form our letters and the pressure we put on the page can say a lot about who we are.
Unlike astrology, Myers-Briggs or tarot, our handwriting is a deeply personal, individual act. We create our handwriting with agency – something learned and moulded as an extension of ourselves.
Graphology is the study and analysis of handwriting in an attempt to reveal the personality traits of the writer. It can reveal a lot – for example that a seemingly confident and positive character may underneath be unsure and riddled with anxiety. Certified graphologists study 300 "signs", as well as psychologists including Jung, Freud, Maslow, Adler and Horney.
Intrigued, we asked some of the team here at Refinery29 to submit their handwriting to the expert scrutiny of Caroline Murray, a certified graphologist from the British Academy of Graphology.
Click through to see what she said...
Georgia Murray, Fashion & Beauty Writer
"Georgia has a positive outlook on life. She is optimistic, progressive in her ideas and looks to the future with enthusiasm. (The writing sits on the right side of the page, is fairly rapid and right slanted. The pressure on the page is heavy.) She is independent in her ideas and to an extent in her relations with others. She shows determination in her work generally, is efficient and able to carry her projects satisfactorily to a conclusion. She is a quick thinker and probably likes others to keep up with her. Her signature* is the same as the text so there is no divergence in personality, ie. what you see is what you get."
Georgia says: I wear my heart on my sleeve, so the final sentence is definitely accurate, as is my attitude towards work and other people. I'm not too sure about how positive I am though, I look to the future with anxiety rather than enthusiasm...
*Signatures have been cropped out of the images throughout
Kara Kia, Editorial Intern
"This is writing that is copied over and over again which loses some liveliness, but the signature is totally different. However, from her other enclosed writings, I can see a natural flair. This is a right slanting, fairly rapid writing, showing progressive views and optimism. It is placed to the right of the page, which indicates a need to seek out the future, rather than hanging on to the past. The writing is connected, showing an ability to follow up a sequence of thought, an ability to rationalise and a taste for routine. She is logical and shows foresight in what she does (good spacing between the lines allowing others' views). She is sociable and adaptable. She will be disciplined and conscientious and can be relied upon. The signature is interesting and indicated some frustration. The long and sharp pointed ending indicated a seeking out of future potentialities."
Kara says: "Don't look back, you're not going that way!" is one of my favourite T-shirts. I would agree I'm very future focusing but reading this makes me feel much more put together than I think I am. The frustration I can understand. I find that my longing for the future gives me anxiety in the present. My parents often say to me: be patient.
Natalie Gil, Senior News Writer
"This writing is copied again and again which is therefore copybook writing, which indicates that she enjoys regularity and routine. As she is down-to-earth and conforming, she may find it difficult to let her imagination flourish. She could be relied upon to finish any project she is required to do. It is interesting that on the piece of paper she sent her signature is crossed out. Perhaps she wants to escape from her conventionalism!"
Natalie says: Call the police, I've been ATTACKED. In my defence, I was asked to write the same sentence five times but it's true I sometimes like routine and I like to think I'm down to earth. The point about my conventionalism and my crossed-out signature? That had me in the ground.
Anna Jay, Art Director
"Anna is confident, disciplined and responsible. She has independent views and is decisive in her dealings. She no doubt gets on socially with others as she has a quick and lively mind and would show confidence in her dealings. Her typographic writing shows she is imaginative and probably aesthetically inclined. There is good spacing between the lines indicating she allows room for others and can listen to their views, but probably at the end of the day she keeps to her well-developed professional ideas. Her pressure is heavy, indicating consistency and perseverance. The signature is crossed out which is unusual for this confident and apparently self-assured person but this may just be a "symbol" which she uses when writing frequently."
Anna says: The analysis is scarily accurate, I can't really find fault in any of the points she makes. The part about my signature relates to when I was younger and making up my signature; I thought it was super cool to be able to use the tail of the Y to both add the line through the A and the top to the J at the same time.
Rose Lander, International Co-ordinator
"Rose is thoughtful, practical and objective. She no doubt has a good memory and prefers to go for concrete ideas based on facts rather than imaginative flights of fancy. She has lots of common sense, is prudent and careful in her work, enjoying routine and practicality. She would be calm and stable in times of crisis but if such an occasion should arise, she would be tenacious in doing whatever was necessary. Her signature shows that there is underlying a more ambitious personality, which will probably develop as time goes by. The signature is completely different from the text, with much stronger pressure on the paper and rapid with a large capital letter, showing confidence and pride – the pointed ending indicating acuity of thought."
Rose says: My immediate reaction was that this felt spookily accurate, at least for the person I like to present myself as. I’m actually a very anxious person but when I’m in crisis I pride myself on keeping a cool head and doing whatever is needed to solve the problem, so to see someone get that from my handwriting is a little bit unnerving. I also do like to see myself as practical, confident and thoughtful, so to see that backed up by my scrawling handwriting is lovely, but I am also wary of believing something because it’s what I want to. Which leads me back to the part where my handwriting analysis told me I’m someone who relies on facts….they know too much!
David Farrell, Marketing Executive
"This writing has very light pressure and sloped backwards and forwards and is discordant, which indicated that David is not yet sure of his personality and lacks self-confidence. He is sensitive and can be anxious and hesitant. Thus, his workload is variable. He might find discipline difficult to deal with. He likes to be imaginative and inventive and indeed might be quite captivating, but he is not down to earth and practical. He can be indecisive and sometimes impulsive. Routine would not be for him, but he is probably tolerant of criticism."
David says: Well, thank god I don't believe in this BS.
Olivia Santner, Graphics & Photography Intern
"This writing is very ordered and precise, showing a need for discipline, clarity and simplicity. (Right slant, angular, heavy pressure on the page.) This is how she appears to others but to an extent this is a mask for a lively and ambitious character underneath, as seen from her signature which is different from the text. In her work she is orderly, receptive to ideas as well as practical, and generally she is determined to do her best. Socially, she would wish to present well. Generally, she is strong-minded and has a good capacity for work, being consistent and preserving. It is possible she might find social discourse not always easy (disconnected letters) but at the same time she can be receptive to others' ideas."
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