Handwriting: Really a window into our souls?

Does our handwriting really tell who we are? Some days back, someone told me I had the handwriting of someone who is very strict, while another suggested that I could write very fast as a child. Apart from those, I have heard many comments people make about handwriting and what it says about an individual’s personality. A Guidance and Counselling head of an Abuja school, Amina Bello Usman, said the way we write our letters, dark, small, large, curved or angled can give insight into our personality and innermost thoughts. “What we write is more important than how we write it. Arguably, one’s handwriting can be considered a window into the soul. Our handwriting on many occasions contains important clues about our state of mind and personality,” she said.

Various ways in which people write has been analyzed by many to have different meanings and interpreting the type of personality we possess. Below are some handwriting styles and corresponding personalities, according to analysts.

Dark, bold strokes

Those who use a heavy hand and a good amount of pressure when writing are often thought to be people who are not afraid of commitment. Being able to take on commitment and owning the space around you. However, if your handwriting shows excessive pressure, then it might be a sign of aggression and a quick temper.

Small vs. big handwriting

One who writes large is believed to feel and behave freely.  A person who likes to be seen will have writing that’s noticeable and free. If you try and write tiny, you need to focus more and block out the rest of the world. People who write this way are focused on their tasks and don’t really notice what is going on around them.

Faint, light strokes

Most of the time, writing without too much pressure displays an easy going nature and a level of sensitivity towards others. But write too lightly and you run the risk of showing no confidence or liveliness at all which could be dangerous, as well.

Your handwriting is different from your signature but both goes hand in hand in telling who you really are. “You write your signature for other people. Your signature is how you want to portray yourself to the world, while the rest of your writing displays how you really are. If your signature is very different from the rest of your handwriting, what you show to the public is not necessarily what you feel inside. Since handwriting can tell a lot about a person, which one will you be: A hurried scrawl or an elegant, cursive work of art? You decide!