Why does handwriting change so much and so frequently?

Why does my handwriting change on different days?

• A bit random this one but... I've noticed that some days I write very differently to others - not just in terms of being neat/messy, but also sometimes I'll write a letter one way (maybe top to bottom) and then the next day I'll write the same letter the other way up. Sometimes it slopes, sometimes it doesn't. On tv cop shows they often show writing being analysed either to compare samples or to determine personality. I'm intrigued to know if my writing indicates anything about my mood or anything else, and if writing in different ways would still be recognisable to an expert. If anyone knows anything I'd be interested to hear from you! Thanks

• Answer:

  In Psychology, this branch of study is called Graphology or Handwriting Analysis. I am surprised to find another person interested in handwriting analysis, which is a fascinating subject I have studied and used to determine people's characters, such as before I befriend them or to analyze potential employment candidates' job applications for big corporations. It ESPECIALLY comes in handy to analyze personality problems/disorders in boyfriends or dates, such as if they're habitual liars or cheaters or if they have violent tempers that will lead to future emotional or physical abuse. The reason our handwriting changes from day to day and mood to mood is because our brain controls the flow of our writing, from how tight we hold the pen and how heavy of pressure we use to press the pen/ink onto the paper to how each sentence flows across (even or upward/downward slanted baselines) and down the page (margins, whether it's even all around the edges or if it's slanted to the right or left), and so on, are all indicative of our personality and daily moods. Have you ever notice that, if you have been running errands all day long, by the end of the day, your handwriting looks a little "faint" in color or your T-cross-bars look like they "curve up?" That's because your muscles are so exhausted that you lack the energy to cross the T straight across and to press the ink with enough energy. Regardless of how many different ways you write, unless you purposely PRACTICE writing completely different in EVERY aspect of EVERY feature (which is a very conscious, time-consuming effort----numerous HOURS of daily practice to change), your brain still operates the same way. Consciously changing your handwriting requires an inner change of the way you think, your attitudes, as well as a change in your personality. EXAMPLES 1. HANDWRITING PRESSURE. The heavier the pressure is (feel it on the back of the paper when you're done writing), the more emotional you felt at that moment, not just from possible anger but can also be from being too stressed out. Lighter-pressured handwritings indicate a very flexible, adaptable personality. Yet if it's too light, then that also indicates the person bends too easily in reaction to external circumstances, such as a tendency to give in to peer pressure. But on the other hand, if it's way too heavy (you can feel on the back that the writing is literally "etched" into the paper), that person has a very strong will power, both in their personal principles and values and emotions, as well as the stable energy to carry their promises/projects all the way to finish. The negative side to that heavy pressure is the possibility of the tendency to not being able to forgive so easily because all of their emotions and experiences are that deeply "etched" into their mind, heart, and soul. 2. The BASELINES (regardless of what language people write in): very rare, perfect baselines that spread evenly across a page (left to right) indicates stability, a balance of emotions and logic. If the baseline of a sentence slants upward, the person is optimistic. If it slants downward, the person is feeling down, sad, or temporarily discouraged. Some even STARTS out the sentence by slanting down and then goes back up, and vice versa. Whatever slant it starts with is the up or down emotion the person TENDS to feel BEFORE starting a project. Some people have baselines that look like the ocean waves, going up and down across the page, which means they tend to be on an emotional rollercoaster, easily affected by external circumstances that may come up or by what people say to them. While others have the most unstable baseline of writing in waves within the SAME word (these are the red flags of mental instability). In teenagers, with the unstable hormonal changes of puberty, that's common and even OK. But if it's an adult, ESPECIALLY men, then beware. 3. MARGINS. Sometimes the left margin (left side of the page) tends to slant to the right and other times it can pull backward to the right. And the same applies to the right margin. The farther either side moves to the right, the more a person is willing to move on with life and welcomes the future. Then there are the top and bottom margins, too. Sometimes there is a bit of space left on top of the page before the person starts a letter "Dear so and so" (a sign of respect and a few degrees of distance in the relationship). Yet other times, when we're writing to our closest best friends, we tend to "jump right in" and write the "Dear____" at the very top of the page, leaving no space. That's not because we feel no respect for the person, just that we're sooo close with them we tend to dismiss all the "formality." The best reading comes from having them write you a message on a 3" X 5" index card or a postcard-sized paper. You will be able to see how they "plan" their schedule by observing their margins or if they suddenly realize they're running out of space and try to squeeze the last words in smaller and smaller sizes. 4. THE SLANT of the letters: different degrees of slants to the left, standing up straight, and different degrees of slants to the right are all indicative of how sociable, reserved, logical, and spontaneous of a person you are. The more reserved and introverted the personality, the more the letters slant to the left (imagine a person pulling slightly backward in a social situation). And the more outgoing and spontaneous the personality, the more it charges forward/slants to the right. The A-slant (standing straight up and down like a soldier) is neutral, neither over-friendly nor too reserved. If there's a change in one's social personality, no matter how slight, there will be a change in the slant. 5. Our SIGNATURE PLACEMENT in relation to the page MARGINS are also an indication of how social of a person we are. 6. ANGULAR vs. ROUNDED overall writing shapes. Angular = logical, protective nature (imagine people holding hands but with their elbows up in a motherly protective gesture). Roundness in connected cursive = intuitive, social butterfly (imagine a bunch of people holding hands). Connected cursive = also logic, whereas the more disconnected (some people write in half print half cursive) the writing is, the more spontaneous and intuitive they are. Notice, the next time you scribble something from a phone message, if your printing is faster or if cursive is faster. If it's the all-capital-letters printing (and if the person writes like that ALL the time), then it indicates that there are aspects of their personality that they don't want people to see. 7. The OVERALL SIZE of the writing: the larger the size (with the small letters of A, O, E, M, N, and so on being over 3 mm in height and width), the more gregarious and outgoing a personality is. That is not to mistaken small writings to be anti-social. In fact, smaller writings can be just as sociable, but just have a much more observant personality (very detailed oriented), more commonly found among scientically and mathematically-inclined people. 8. The overall size of the LOOPS in letters, such as L, F, Y, G, and B: the more inflated the upper loop, the more dreamy the person is. If it's exaggerated inflated upper loops, it's also an indication of the size of their ego. As for the lower loops (G, G, and Ys), the longer the loop reaches down, the greater the distance that person is willing to go to reach for what they want (like they would be willing to drive across town for their favorite snack or ice cream, which also indicates how much they're willing to reach for their goals). And these are just a few examples of how handwriting analysis is used to determine characters and personalities. I can go on for hours explaining the details of this branch of psychology. But check out your local library or bookstores in the Psychology section for a more extensive personal study. Then start applying the knowledge to analyze the people around you. Graphology does not tell you the exact experiences that people have been through, but it does tell you----with 100% ACCURACY----a person's character and personality AS IS, right here, right now. And that's enough information for analytical self-defense, whether it's reading a potential boyfriend, fiance, your kids' new babysitter(s), potential employee, or co-workers.