A study has revealed what your handwriting might say about you - and it could indicate that you're a secret genius. If your handwriting slants to the right and you cross your 't's with flair, you may be in the same league as historical luminaries like Queen Victoria, Charles Darwin, and Florence Nightingale.
The research, conducted by Royal Mail and Tracey Trussell, a top handwriting analyst, demonstrates how our penmanship can expose our personality traits and enables us to compare ourselves with some of the greatest figures.
This fresh analysis of letters and notes penned by some of the UK's most renowned individuals claims to uncover the hallmarks of greatness in one's handwriting. The handwriting of 10 prolific letter and note writers who feature on the 100 Greatest Britons or 100 Greatest Black Britons lists was scrutinised.
Among the samples analysed were the handwriting of Queen Victoria, journalist and activist Claudia Jones, mathematician Isaac Newton, who discovered gravity, and British composer Ignatius Sancho, the first known black Briton to vote in a British election, reports the Mirror.
The study also examined the handwriting of Charles Darwin, the English naturalist who penned the theory of evolution, Florence Nightingale, Rosalind Franklin, an English chemist who contributed to our understanding of DNA and virus molecular structures, and civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
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Samples from English prison reformer Elizabeth Fry, who featured on the old £5 notes, and Millicent Fawcett, a writer and feminist known for her work as a campaigner for women to have the vote. Common traits found in the writing include narrow right margins, a marked right slant and long and high T-bars.
Various handwriting features also revealed character traits of the people the writing belonged to. Broadness in writing - where the letter 'n' is stretched horizontally across the page - reveals people who are open minded, unprejudiced and generous.
Joined up writing can show a person is likely to be purposeful, single-minded and opinionated. Ms Trussell said: "Handwriting is like 'brain writing' because it comes through the central nervous system. It's a snapshot in time. My job is to interpret every swirl, stroke, slant, flourish, space and loop on the paper, enabling the true character of the individual to step off the page. It has been enthralling peeking behind the writing of these Great Britons. Graphology is a little bit like piecing together a jigsaw to build a complete picture.
"While it is difficult to be too prescriptive, these samples have thrown up some strong clues as to what underpins a Great Briton. Letters makeup part of our history - they are a memoir of our individuality and presence - ensuring that we don't disappear forever."
Historian Dr Tracey Hayes, who analysed the samples, said: "These samples have done exactly that - they are a fascinating way of connecting with individuals that have helped define and shape the way we live today." Royal Mail's director of public affairs and policy, David Gold, said: "It is amazing to think that something we do every day can reveal so much about us. There have been many Great Britons throughout the years and we hope this list can help identify the next Great Britons."
Handwriting can reveal particular character traits (Getty)According to Tracey, the most common handwriting traits are:
- Marked right slant - Slant is an emotional barometer that measures people’s social stance. A marked right slant such as that in the writing style of Queen Victoria, Issac Newton, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Ignatius Sancho indicates that a person is enthusiastic and responsive. It also shows that they don’t want to hold back and tend to be highly proactive.
- Rhythmical writing style - This is the movement, or lively flow of handwriting across the page. It is the regularity in the rhythmic pattern or natural free flow of the pen - like clockwork - across the page. If writing is rhythmical the writer is mature, well balanced and generally comfortable in their own skin, like Elizabeth Fry and Millicent Fawcett.
- Large ‘upper zone’ - Writing consists of three zones - upper, middle and lower - and each zone reveals a different section of the writer’s inner character. The upper zone focuses on the parts of the letters that extend upwards like b, d, f, h and k. People with a large and dominant upper zone have rich imaginations, creative mind-sets and big aspirations. They’re also intellectually savvy, ethical and have high standards, like Claudia Jones, Ignatius Sancho and Charles Darwin.
- Narrow or non-existent right margin - This is when the end of a sentence leaves no space on the right hand side of the page. Words appear to fall off the edge of the page or dip down like in the cases of Millicent Fawcett, Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. The size of the right hand margin shows the writer’s real feelings towards the future. Those that leave no right margin are outgoing and engaging. They are also impulsive, goal-orientated and driven.
- Small and diminished ‘middle zone’ - The middle zone covers everything that sits on the baseline and reflects how people view themselves internally - the ego area. People with disproportionately small middle zones are selfless, productive, and much more interested in things that are going on around them. All of the ‘Great Britons’ have small and diminished middle zones.
- Broadness - This is where the letter ‘n’ is stretched horizontally across the page so it becomes wide and rectangular-shaped, revealing people who are open minded, unprejudiced and generous, willing to embrace change. Broadness is a common denominator between all our ‘Great Britons’, and particularly noticeable in Elizabeth Fry’s handwriting.
- Large ‘lower zone’ - Lower zone is the space underneath the baseline and can be seen in the letters that extend downwards such as g, j, p, q and y. The lower zone is a deeply personal area focusing on people’s primal instincts. People with exaggerated lower zones - such as extended curls like Florence Nightingale, Queen Victoria and Rosalind Franklin - are practical. People who have lots of variation in the size of their lower zone tend to be restless and like keeping busy.
- T-bars long and high - This is the horizontal stroke that crosses the t-bar. A person with long and high t-bars is a take-charge sort of person, like Queen Victoria and Millicent Fawcett. They are decision makers and perfectionists.
- Large letter ‘k’ - A noticeably large (or inflated) letter ‘k’ shows people who are resourceful and defiant like Charles Darwin, Ignatius Sancho and Claudia Jones. They like to get their own way and follow their own path in life.
- Joined-up writing with connectedness between words - Connectedness in joined up writing reflects the writer’s thinking process and ability to function in social relationships. If a person’s writing is connected they are likely to be purposeful, single-minded and opinionated, with an indomitable spirit. When words are connected too, this means the writer is articulate, outstandingly logical and thrives on adventure. All the samples have connectedness. An example of connectedness between words is particularly noticeable in Brunel’s sample.
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