Seniors learn what it means when the “f” is up

(Crystal A. Proxmire)

“I can tell by these ‘k’s there are a lot of people in this room who don’t like to be told what to do. …And I’m really surprised at how many balanced ‘f’s we have.  Maybe there are a lot of former teachers in this group.  A balanced ‘f’ is a rare thing,” said handwriting expert Gina Glassgold at the Sept. 22, 2010 Ferndale Seniors meeting.  “These have the upper loop and the lower loop the same length and there’s no slant.  A balanced ‘f’ means that you’re very organized.”

Glassgold is a certified graphologist who believes that the way a person writes gives clues about their personality.  “When you write an electrical impulse originates in your brain and your hand and pen follow that impulse,” she said. “People have notice over the centuries that certain patterns and signs in handwriting reliably indicate definite psychological traits and physical conditions.”

She is careful to point out that no one sign should be taken in isolation, and that writing can vary depending on our mood, the situation we’re writing in, our age and physical health.  “All signs that you see in writing must be considered in relation to other signs.  No traits stand alone without being influenced by other traits.”  There are hundreds of traits involved in handwriting analysis, but some basic ones can be understood by nearly everyone.

Over 30 Ferndale Seniors listened as Glassgold explained some basic concepts.  They watched as Barbara Theriault, Katie Hershberger, Mary Ann Still and Jeannie Davis wrote on the dry erase board and had their writing broken down.

The first thing that is revealing about handwriting is the size.  Moderate sized writing indicates reasonableness, while smaller letters mean a writer is focused inward and concentrating.  Larger lettering can indicate pride, arrogance or carelessness.

The length of the upward loops on letters can also be revealing.  “Loops are the imagination,” Glassgold said. “The longer the loops the more wide the imagination.  Don’t confuse that with very large loops, that can get a little dangerous.”

The lower loops indicate a person’s sexual and physical self.  Balance in the height of the upper and lower loops shows that a person has an organize mind.

Slant of writing pertains to the writer’s decision making process.  If writing has a forward slat it can indicate impulsiveness.  A backwards slant indicates caution, or even withdrawal.

Theriault was the first to sign her name and write “I like my friends” on the dry erase board.  Glassgold determined that Theriault “likes herself, but not too much,” by the way that the I at the beginning of the sentence is slightly larger than the other letters.  She also notes that the gentle upward slant of her lines mean that she is likely a gentle, happy person.

Another trait that Glassgold described was the cross of the lowercase “t.”  She said that an uncrossed “t” indicates a tendency towards procrastination.  In general the horizontal line represents your level of goals.  Someone with their “t” crossed near the top is very ambitious; someone with a low-crossed t might have a hard time envisioning the future.  If the line is far above the vertical line, it could mean that the writer is a dreamer – someone with high goals but no plan of achieving them.

“Where you cross your‘t’ varies depending on situation.  College students tend to have higher‘t’ lines because they are in the mindset of goals and achieving, where a lot of new mothers have a low ‘t’ line because they are only focusing on what they have to do in the next five minutes, not the long term future.  Once they adjust to motherhood, the line goes back up.”

Katie Hershberger is a leftie, but that doesn’t affect the analytical process.  “If a left hander is able to put the paper where they want, it comes out with the slant they want, but if they are forced to hold the paper straight their writing could look like it has a back slant.”  Hershberger’s close-spaced words indicate a liking for being around people, and the pointy “r”s mean that she is sharp-thinking.  “You get things quick,” Glassgold said.  “Nobody has to tell you anything twice.”  The fact that she printed the “s” in the middle of a cursive word indicates good verbal ability and good communication skills.  And the tallness of the letter “k” implies that she doesn’t like being told what to do.

Jeannie Davis, President of the Ferndale Seniors, did not surprise anyone with her large lower case “J” with the dot on top instead of a traditional capital.  “You’ve used a small J, but made it the size of a capital, so your ego is about right.  It might mean that you’re a little bit eccentric, maybe a little bit creative.”  Davis, who loves to paint, has an optimistic upward stroke at the end of her last name, and a very balanced “f.”

Mary Ann Still’s penmanship showed a slight foreword slant, or an optimistic attitude. And her nicely proportionate “f” showed balance, if not a little bit of compulsion.

The Seniors enjoyed the insights that Glassgold gave, and the fliers she handed out with even more information on handwriting analysis.  She said that she found graphology to be very insightful in her personal life.  “I’ve done a lot of analyzing my mother and father’s handwriting.  They’re gone, but I have letters and it helps me understand them.”

Glassgold is available to do handwriting analysis for groups, and can be reached at 248-546-8180.