The reviewers studied, among other things, the shape of the letters, the type of relationship between the letters, the shape of the arcs on “m” and “n”, the type of point on i (dot, circle or a small one). Line); The trembling hand signals along with the strength of the pressure and the direction of inclination of the writing. The psychologist then looked for links between these writing characteristics and personality factors of emotional stability, extroversion, tolerance, conscientiousness, openness, and impulsivity. But he couldn’t find any. A person’s typeface did not provide any clues to these central personality traits, he concluded.

Then why does graphology attract so many people? “People tend to believe that there are secret psychological tricks with which one can see through to others,” explains Uwe Canning, professor of business psychology at the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences. Many people like the idea that one can expose liars with the help of eye movements or that a high level of intelligence can be determined by a signature.

The psychologist deals with questionable methods in the work of personnel; He provides graphology for the category of semi-silks. According to him, about two percent of German companies still employ graphologists. “It doesn’t sound like a lot, but with over three million companies in Germany, thousands of people are still assessed by their handwriting,” he criticizes. “In France and Switzerland, graphology is even more popular than here in Switzerland.”

Barnum Effect: Something for Everyone

Like astrology, graphology benefits from the so-called Barnum effect: some literary writers take pride in the fact that people identify themselves in their analysis. In these cases, however, customer satisfaction is not an indication of the method’s validity. The Barnum Effect suggests that we can more easily accept vague character descriptions as they suit us personally. The event is named after American showman Phineas Taylor Barnum (1810–1891), who advertised that his cabinet of curiosities (including a ventriloquist, a flea circus, and a model of Niagara Falls) was “for every taste”. something”. Happen.

Psychologist Bertram Forer meanwhile demonstrated this theory in the mid-20th century. frequently repeated use. He tricked the students into thinking that they were taking a personality test. At the end of the test, you should rate on a scale of 0 to 5 how well the result applies to you. On average, participants scored an astonishing 4.3 points. Everyone received the same text. The response includes a crowd such as “sometimes you are extroverted, sociable and open-minded, but still introverted, skeptical and reserved”.

women write better

But what about other characteristics – such as gender? Can you tell by handwriting whether a man or a woman has written the text?