Hand-writing experts, called ‘graphologists’ – are able to tell a great deal about your character from the way you sign your name. Tiny impulses from the brain influence the way the pen moves and reveal personality. These days an enormous amount of correspondence is done by email or print-out, so hand-writing is not as visible as it used to be. However, signatures are still needed on legal documents, and you’ll find this ‘seal of self’ at the bottom of important letters and on cards and notes.
For some extra insight into the true nature of your friends and colleagues – and even to get to know yourself better – you can analyse signatures. Your signature often subconsciously depicts the way you want the world to see you, as well as what you are. Once you’re in the habit of signing a certain way it can be hard to change – but not impossible. If you really don’t like what you learn, work on altering your signature a little. This can feed back messages to your brain and may encourage small but real changes in the way you are, especially if you back this up with meditation and visualization.
Learn about:
- Signatures that stand out
- Large signatures
- Medium signatures
- Small signatures
- Underlined signatures
- Decorated signatures
- Full stop after signatures
- When the signature is at an angle
- The three ‘zones’ of writing
- Dotted ‘I’s and crossed ‘t’s’
- Unreadable signatures
SIGNATURE STANDS OUT FROM THE REST OF THE SCRIPT
If the signature comes at the end of a piece that the person has written, you can compare the signature with the rest. If it stands out as very different, it shows something to hide. This may not be bad – in fact it could be good – but what you see isn’t what you get. This writer doesn’t like themselves much, maybe, and certainly wants to portray an image.
LARGE SIGNATURE
This looks important but probably means that the writer has low self-esteem and wants to make themselves more noticeable. He or she doesn’t feel interesting, talented or knowledgeable, but would like to be seen that way. This does not in any way reflect their actual talents – they may be fabulous but probably don’t feel at a lot of the time. They might come on like the life and soul, but be quite touchy. Or they may be surprisingly quiet and even immature.
If the signature spreads outside the space allowed, that is slightly different. Here we have a rebel who believes that rules are there to be broken.
MEDIUM SIZED SIGNATURE
This shows a person with a balanced view of themselves. They like to keep everything in proportion, including their own involvement in whatever is going on. When they are on familiar territory they are quite confident and sure of themselves.
SMALL SIGNATURE
This doesn’t mean a small mind, limited abilities or even lack of self-esteem. People who long for seclusion and are very private sign like this. If someone makes their signature small to fit into the available space, then this is a person who complies with conventions and the expectations of others, and rarely ‘crosses the line.’
UNDERLINED SIGNATURE
A line underneath a signature is called a ‘paraph’. Ignore this individual only if you want trouble! They want to be in the public eye and are determined to be noticed and respected. There is a degree of exhibitionism, even arrogance, but underneath it there may be considerable self-doubt. By underlining their signature this writer is trying to convince themselves as much as anyone else that they exist, and they matter.
DECORATED SIGNATURE
Is there a little quirk or flourish that distinguishes the signature? This could be something as small as a sweep at the start or a curl at the end, or it could be something as noticeable as a little drawing perhaps a face in the loop of a ‘g’, ‘j’ or ‘p’ or a drawing of a football as a full stop. This decoration means the writer is wanting to tell you something about him or herself. There’s an openness shown here, but again also a wish to be noticed.
FULL STOP AFTER SIGNATURE
You don’t have to put a full stop after your signature. Anyone who does is showing self-control (or a wish for it) and a desire for control generally. This person likes tight boundaries and prefers to complete projects – maybe sometimes with overkill.
AT AN ANGLE – SLOPING, FLOATING, SINKING
Does the signature lie parallel with the rest of the script, or is it at an angle? A climbing signature shows ambition, success and confidence – this person is determined to better themselves, although if it tails off at the end they may bite off more than they can chew. A climbing signature, if it looks frail and wobbly, can also indicate the writer feels that life is an uphill struggle.
A downward signature can indicate depression and giving up. This person isn’t going to try much – in fact their signature could be an unconscious cry for help.
A signature that floats above the line can mean a lack of realism, a happy soul whose head is in the clouds.
A signature that is partly (or even totally) below the line means someone who wants to hide or who has given up.
A wavy signature means someone who’s up and down and they don’t see why everyone shouldn’t know about their moods!
IN A ZONE
There are three ‘zones’ in handwriting, signifying three areas of life. Letters like ‘o’ and ‘a’ are in the middle zone, relating to friends, family and social life. The lower zone, position of the down-strokes in ‘p’ and ‘g’ for instance, shows physicality and energy. The upper zone, shown in the higher strokes of ‘l’, ‘b’, ‘d’ etc. indicates spirituality. Some signatures have a zone missing. For instance Dan Scott has no lower zone. However, Dan may instinctively wish to show he’s a sportsman by extending the final stroke of his ‘n’ below the line. Or he may advertise he’s a family man by large, rounded ‘a’ and ‘o’. If the tips of his ‘t’s are flying upwards, he’s hinting at his high-mindedness. Take note of the zones in a signature, to understand the writer’s priorities.
DOTTED ‘I’S AND CROSSED ‘T’S.
A very precise and careful signature shows a person of that nature. If the signature has been gone over and corrected, this person has serious confidence problems and is uncertain about who they are or what they’ve achieved.
UNREADABLE SIGNATURE
A careless scrawl means the writer doesn’t care about being clear. This can indicate arrogance, preoccupation or plain carelessness. A signature that is so convoluted it is illegible hints at a person who shoots themselves in the foot through overkill, who wishes to appear very eccentric but may succeed mostly in being misunderstood.
