What Does Your Handwriting Say About You?

Brainydictionary.com defines handwriting as "the cast or form of writing peculiar to each hand or person." To Ruth Holmes, professional handwriting and document examiner and head of Pentec, Inc., a forensic and personnel consulting firm, this is indeed a telling description.

"It is always in the handwriting," says Ruth. "The writing shows you where you're going. The brain controls the hand. Handwriting is the landscape of the mind. No matter how hard you may try, you truly cannot disguise your handwriting."

Every stroke of the pen -- the way we dot our i's, cross our t's, slant or loop our letters, and especially the way we sign our names -- is a reflection of our personalities. Our writing can reveal whether we're in a hurry, feeling depressed, or having a wonderful day. The study of handwriting dates back to the ancient Chinese, and the first recorded handwriting analysis was done by Aristotle. The first book published on the study of handwriting was written in 1622.

Today, handwriting analysis has played a significant role in the investigation of the numerous crimes including the anthrax scares, sniper and terrorist threats, materials uncovered in the war in Iraq, and the increasing issue of personal identity theft. The skill of experts like Ruth Holmes is vital to federal, state and local law enforcement processes, as well as to corporations and businesses concerned about hiring the right people and keeping employees fulfilled and productive.

Ruth and other handwriting experts have worked with some of America's largest corporations to recognize and encourage individual potential for optimum employee career development. Through handwriting analysis, they can also motivate and coach employees, help them through difficult corporate changes or events, and heighten awareness among business owners and executives on the importance of maintaining the right people in the right jobs. Their skill can also enhance understanding about how individual personality can affect job performance. Given today's volatile workplace, many companies are even using handwriting experts to help them understand the importance of maintaining the appropriate writing samples in personnel files for potential forensic use. Still others are using handwriting analysis to drive traffic to trade shows and exhibit booths. Through her work, Ruth has uncovered key insights into how we write, why we prefer a pen or pencil, why we use print or cursive, and what our doodling really means. Here are some of the common factors she's found:

• People who prefer print over cursive usually march to the beat of their own drum. These personalities are very good at facts and figures, and their style is direct, analytical, and sometimes critical. They're good at problem-solving.
• Pencils are the instrument of choice for those who are cautious and like to be able to correct everything.
• Men are more likely to print and have wide spaces between their words. Their fine motor skills are also usually less developed than women's so their handwriting is messier.
• Those who just scribble and make scratches on a page instead of doodling, show anxiety, restlessness and creativity.
• People who doodle flowers, circles, hearts and faces are demonstrating the warmer, gentler and more communicative side of their personalities.
• People who write or doodle in a more angular fashion like to dig into things and find answers.
• Men usually exhibit more anxiety signs in their handwriting, including illegibility, variable slant, tremor, overwriting and variable letter size.
• Direct, no-nonsense people prefer using pens with black ink. These people may also think in black/white, good/bad scenarios.

According to Ruth, there are several basic features in handwriting that any of us can recognize to get a quick snapshot of a person's personality. Here's her Top 12 List of what to look for and what it means:

1. Writing slants to the left -- introspective, guarded personality.
2. Slant to the right -- subjective personality.
3. Straight up & down -- objective personality.
4. Large letters -- confidence. If letters seem too large, the person may be seeking attention.
5. Small letters -- introverted. If a person usually writes small, but has a large signature, it means they are truly an introvert, but present themselves as an extrovert.
6. Loopy letters -- caring, thoughtful, kind.
7. Angular letters -- quick, smart.
8. Upswing at the end of a letter or word -- connected to others. This represents reaching out or looking forward. Someone who is very direct will usually simply end the letter, not follow through with an upswing.
9. Combination of printing and cursive - high intelligence. The brain says to go faster and the hand just can't keep up. This is known as "printscript."
10. Heavy, thick strokes -- passion, energy.
11. Strong, high cross on T's -- high goals, strong energy and enthusiasm.
12. Steady, structured baseline on letters -- comprehensive, likes routine.