By Holly Gates
THE FRENCH DO IT ALL THE TIME. ANALYZE HANDWRITING, THAT IS.
If you applied for a job in France, chances are you’d be asked to send a handwritten letter. French companies often use graphologists, or handwriting analysts, to evaluate applicants. Graphology is based on the idea that your physical movements, which include writing, can express your personality.
Your handwriting can even provide a clue to the way you approach love. But analyzing how you write won’t tell the whole story. In fact, some experts think that signatures reveal an ideal self-image rather than the naked truth. “You’ll see what a person would like to be,” says graphologist Felix Klein, founder and past president of the National Society for Graphology.
Ruth Gardner, graphologist and author of Instant Handwriting Analysis (Llewellyn Publications, 1993), agrees but thinks that some real character traits do emerge in your signature, no matter how you try to disguise them. Read on for an analysis of your signature and what it can say about your relationship M.O.
Relaxed signature
First, determine how your writing flows. If it’s relaxed, it can mean you’re a free spirit, according to Klein, and might like dating around. You may be more willing than most to take a chance on love. If your letters connect (as in “Denise Smith,” above), you are probably sociable and feel comfortable around groups of people; you might even tend to be dependent on others, says Gardner. If your letters aren’t connected (like “Ashton Hunter,” below), it can mean you have trouble clicking with people because you’re shy. It might be tough for you to take the first step in meeting guys.
Next, check the slant of your letters, the most difficult handwriting component to disguise, according to Gardner. If they slope to the right, you tend to reach out to others. A left-leaning signature may mean you’re a more private person. You could be waiting for the right guy or holding back because of past disappointments.
Straight signature
If your name stands straight up on the page, you might have the most well-balanced love life of all. Vertical letters signal someone who is emotionally steady, in Gardner’s view. If you have vertical handwriting, you’re likely to approach your relationships in a levelheaded way.
A round hand bodes well for your romantic future, according to both graphologists—you are caring and open. If the lower loops of your letters (‘s, j’s) are large, it usually shows you’re passionate. By contrast, if your signature is cramped, you’re more concerned with fact than with emotion, Klein says. You might rely too much on your head and not enough on your heart, a tendency that others may interpret as a lack of caring.
Then, look at the size of your signature. When you sign on a large scale, sharing yourself is not the problem. “A large signature shows a need to be noticed,” Gardner says. You may crave attention, blurting out all your secrets in the hope that your man will understand (and love) you more. A small signature can mean “a more retiring or reserved person,” says Gardner.
Signature with flourishes
Flourishes—such as extra loops and curlicues—often go with large signatures and point to an active imagination (see “Frances Haller,” above). For example, you may fantasize that Mr. Right will walk into your office one day and whisk you away in the elevator. But a flamboyant signature could also mean you’d like to be seen as romantic but are really more practical.
Illegible signature
Don’t confuse these add-ons with a sloppy signature. Signing illegibly could mean you don’t want to be imitated (look at “Delores Eckberg,” above). Or you could be saying you don’t like to communicate through writing, says Gardner. Instead of love letters, a thoughtful phone call could be more your speed.
You can also try applying this analysis to your favorite man’s scrawl. But before you leap to the conclusion that he’s distant (or you are), relax. Both experts insist that you must study all of a person’s handwriting before drawing any definite conclusions. A signature can offer one avenue of insight into someone’s personality. It’s up to you to figure out the rest.
Claudia Schiffer’s signature analysis
Claudia Schiffer
According to graphologist Felix Klein, this is what Claudia’s signature says: She is a vivacious person. There is a lot of free movement in her signing. She is not inhibited, as you can tell by the looseness of her hand. The open, forward movement of her strokes shows she is very comfortable with her body. She is intelligent and full of common sense, qualities revealed by a legible and relaxed signature. She has a good sense of humor. The stroke used to dot the ‘i’ indicates someone who likes to laugh.
Claudia Schiffer’s signature
(The article appeared in the May 1994 edition of Mademoiselle, a women’s fashion magazine. It closed down in November 2001.)
Disclaimer: One element of handwriting may be analysed at a time, but always look at the entire handwriting sample before arriving at any conclusion.
