Graphology

From Wikipedia, “graphology is the analysis of the physical characteristics and patterns of 
handwriting claiming to be able to identify the writer, indicating the psychological state at the time of 
writing, or evaluating personality characteristics.” The analyses that graphologists give remind me of 
the analyses of psychics and astrologers. Their descriptions are filled with vague but seemingly 
specific compliments and statements that anyone could agree with. For example, one might claim 
that a writer is “introverted at times, but outgoing in the right environment,” which is, of course, true 
for everyone. Based on a wikiHow article (https://www.wikihow.com/Analyze-Handwriting-
(Graphology)), the apparent connections between handwriting and personality seem intuitive enough. 
Dark handwriting indicates intense emotions, probably because writing darker takes more pressure 
and therefore energy. Closer letters indicates that the person likes to be in crowds, almost like the 
letters are conscious and okay with being so close. Or it could mean that the writer is introverted; the 
article says both. The appeal of graphology is understandable: we all like hearing good things about 
ourselves, especially when they allow us to categorize our personalities. Like most other 
pseudosciences though, graphology has the potential to harm. Many businesses use it to 
discriminate when hiring, and some claim to be able to find criminals.