It’s finally happened! After many months of searching, you’ve been offered a position at a prestigious company. Everything has been agreed upon, the paperwork is ready — all that remains is to sign. But be careful: the little squiggle you draw may reveal far more about you than you think.
Among the key characteristics used to analyze signatures are the following:
Letter size. A noticeable difference in the height of capital and lowercase letters suggests a person who is highly demanding of others, possibly critical and capricious. A small difference between the height of initial and subsequent letters indicates the author’s modesty and simplicity in relationships with others.
Small letters in a signature point to a person who is economical, rational, and somewhat inclined toward egoism and stinginess. Large letters resembling childish handwriting suggest dreaminess, naivety, trustfulness, and a strong need for personal freedom and independence.
Letter shape. Rounded letters are typical of kind, calm, and balanced individuals. Angular letters are found in more excitable people, those sharp in judgment, irritable, and ambitious.
Ornamentation. The presence of curls, loops, flourishes, and similar embellishments indicates insincerity and vanity. At the same time, such decorations are most commonly found among people in creative professions — artists, writers, and painters.
Speed and flow of writing. In thorough, meticulous, and focused individuals, letters are clearly distinguishable. Those who think broadly and globally tend to have a “flying signature” — one that inherently conveys movement and aspiration.
Spacing between letters, according to graphologists, helps determine a person’s level of generosity. Wide spacing suggests generosity and possibly even wastefulness. The absence of clear gaps between letters (they may even overlap) indicates a frugal or even stingy nature.
Pressure applied while writing is evenly distributed in balanced, self-confident individuals. In nervous, emotional, and sensitive people, the pressure tends to be uneven and irregular.
Underlining or overlining. Proud, highly sensitive individuals who react painfully to criticism often underline their signature. Ambitious, arrogant careerists draw a line above their signature. Self-critical individuals who doubt themselves and are often dissatisfied with who they are tend to cross out their signature. The longer the “tail” at the end of a signature, the more intolerant its owner is of interference in their life and affairs, and the less they tolerate orders, remarks, or criticism.
Multiple signature variations by the same person suggest selective attitudes toward others — a desire to please certain people while showing some disdain toward those in whom they are uninterested.
These are by no means all the criteria for signature analysis. Yet even this list is sufficient to form an impression of the author — one that may (who knows?) differ from the author’s own intentions. At the very least, it’s another way to better understand people.
As always, how seriously to take these findings is up to you — or your employer!
