Why handwriting is brain-writing | Sunday Observer

Why handwriting is brain-writing

1 April, 2018

With mobile phones to send short messages (SMS) and computer keyboard to type long letters and stories, handwriting is of limited value today. However, schoolchildren are compelled to use handwriting to take down notes and answer question papers at examinations. While using modern technology we seem to have forgotten the fact that like dreams, handwriting is a visible expression of behaviour that is guided by the brain. The hand is the limb that carries out the commands given by the brain. Therefore, handwriting reveals our personality which cannot be easily forged by anybody else.

In fact there is a group of scientists who study handwriting as a means to peep into the personality traits of each writer. We have long been interested in the study of handwriting in order to discover the character of other people. The Chinese were perhaps the first to study character through a person’s handwriting. Even ancient philosophers in Greece and Rome believed that handwriting has a close connection with a person’s character. As a result, a new branch of knowledge called “Graphology” came into being.

Graphology enjoyed a prominent place in society as it was a blend of observation, analysis and interpretation backed by common sense. Today, however, graphology has evolved into a modern scientific discipline known as “Graphonomy.” Graphonomists, with the aid of computers and scientific methodologies make pronouncements which have a high degree of accuracy. They say, handwriting which originates in the brain before making their presence as marks on a blank paper provides unmistakable clues about a person’s physical and mental health. In addition, graphonomists can predict a person’s emotional stability, attitudes, and integrity. Big companies in developed countries seek the help of graphonomists before recruiting prospective employees. Some leading universities also conduct courses in handwriting analysis.

Unique

Even non-graphonomists know that people do not write in the same way. Our handwriting is something personal to us. It is something unique as our fingerprints. In countries such as Sri Lanka, where graphonomy is not so developed, there are handwriting experts. Sometimes, they give evidence in courts when there is a dispute over somebody’s handwriting.

Once, the Director of Graphology Consultants International in the United States was called in by an auto dealer who was losing $1 million a year due to theft of engine parts. The director asked the company to get all the employees write down whether they had any knowledge of the thefts. The handwriting samples were submitted by the company’s vice president with a covering letter. By analyzing the handwriting in the covering letter, the director came to the conclusion that the vice president was the culprit. Later, he was arrested and legal proceedings were taken against him.

In the United States, some European countries and in Israel, graphonomy is considered a branch of psychology. Handwriting analysis is used during the selection process of prospective employees even in Germany and Switzerland. According to graphonomists, no two persons on earth write the same way. However, ordinary people are not handwriting experts. Only a trained graphonomist can spot a forgery.

Handwriting samples

During a Postal Department inquiry, the investigating officer showed me two samples of handwriting and asked me whether they were similar. I told him that I could not give an opinion as I was not a handwriting expert. The investigating officer who was annoyed over my reply wrote an adverse report against me!

A competent graphonomist can tell whether a particular person is an honest employee by analyzing his handwriting. Similarly, he can tell you whether you are an optimist or a pessimist. A graphonomist I met in Malaysia told me that it was not easy to analyze a person’s handwriting. As a graphonomist he used to study the slant, pressure, spacing, margins, how you connect letters and how you sign. According to him, fluid, rounded writing indicates an easygoing and flexible personality. Sharp and angular writing generally suggests aggressiveness. Interrupted writing reveals intuitive leaps, while connected writing shows an original mind.

According to graphonomists, handwriting has three different zones: the middle zone, upper zone and lower zone. They are formed by the extensions of letters such as “f, k, I” and “y” and the capital letters. Malformed middle zone letters can be a positive sign of poor self-image. Sharp-pointed loops in the lower zone may indicate suppressed sexual feelings.

Signature

Graphonomists believe that in addition to your handwriting, your signature will also reveal your character. The size of one’s signature would reflect one’s own assessment of his worth. It is a measure of a person’s self-esteem. If you study the signature of heads of states, you will note that most of them are fairly big.

Some people underline their signatures. Graphonomists say that such signatures indicate forceful personalities. They also have a healthy self-esteem. In addition, they are ready to take risks in life. They are not afraid of making mistakes.

Some people, however, do not consider graphology or graphonomy seriously. They say graphology, like astrology, is a pseudoscience. Despite such negative criticisms, graphologists, like astrologers, carry on with their handwriting analysis.

They ask beginners to get several handwriting samples at least a few hours apart. This is because handwriting tends to change with moods and circumstances. You will note that some people press hard into the paper while others use a light touch. According to graphologists, high pressure means high emotional energy. Average pressure means a relatively calm but anchored person. Slant also matters a lot. A right slant would mean that the writer is interested in what he is doing. A left slant means a desire to hide emotions. A straight vertical slant might mean that the writer keeps his emotions in check.

Even if you are not a trained graphonomist, you can analyze the handwriting of your friends and colleagues and come to tentative conclusions. It would be a fascinating hobby as well.

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