Allusionist 61: In Your Hand

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"It's sort of frozen body language; that's what handwriting analysis is about." Since it caught on a couple of hundred years ago, graphology - analysing handwriting to deduce characteristics of the writer - has struggled to be taken seriously as a prac...

"It's sort of frozen body language; that's what handwriting analysis is about."

Since it caught on a couple of hundred years ago, graphology - analysing handwriting to deduce characteristics of the writer - has struggled to be taken seriously as a practice. But undoubtedly, there are things about ourselves that we can't help but reveal in our handwriting. Graphologist Adam Brand explains the 'pseudoscience/useful art'.

READ MORE:

• If you want to learn graphology, Adam recommends The Complete Idiot's Guide To Handwriting as a starting point.

• RE different hands for different people: The Hidden Messages of Colonial Writing, and Tidy Librarian Writing.

• Writing on electronic devices means I rarely write by hand any more - do you? But, based on the number of Buzzfeed pieces about it I've seen this year, I reckon handwriting is making a comeback.

• Is cursive dying out in America?

• For more about the development of handwriting analysis alongside ideas of the self, read Tamara Plakins Thornton's Handwriting in America: A Cultural History.

• The CIA's assessment of graphology.

• What your signature means (even without graphological training, I think we can tell what this signature means).

• What does your letter 'g' say about your libido?

• Improve your motivation with graphotherapy.

• Prince George's birth certificate.

• Transcript of this episode: theallusionist.org/transcripts/graphology.

YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
jink

CREDITS:

• Adam Brand is a truly delightful professional graphologist - and though he knew nothing about me beforehand, his analysis of my writing was spot on. Visit adambrand.co.uk to find out more about his work and/or hire him for your recruitment and forensic needs.

• This episode was produced by me, with help from Cheeka Eyers; the music is by Martin Austwick.

• Find me at facebook.com/allusionistshow, twitter.com/allusionistshow, twitter.com/helenzaltzman and instagram.com/helenzaltzman - and, live and onstage, at this year's London Podcast Festival.

- HZ

P.S. A glimpse beneath the magician's cloth - or producer's duvet in this case: I'm currently travelling (on a jaunt for the next episode), so had to build a recording booth in my hotel bathroom. While listening, adjust your mental picture accordingly.
P.P.S. Duvet recording booths are DISGUSTINGLY WARM.