Graphology is basically handwriting analysis and it can be used to refer to one of three things.  The first is its use in the medical field where it’s used to determine if certain parts of the brain are damaged or if the patient has any number of muscle, bone, or nerve problems.  The second is the idea that you can determine a person’s personality, psychology, and other traits by how they write.  And the third is forensic document analysis, but that one is technically incorrect.  This about the second.

I’m not going to sit here and hash out all the laughably inane and improbable things that ‘graphologists’ claim they can determine by how you write.  The many, many things.  This is instead about how companies around the world are using it to determine who they hire and fire.  Yes, they use this crap to do that.  Are you surprised?  About 3,000 businesses in the UK alone use it to determine whether or not they will hire someone.  It is used to determine how much a team player the person is, how well they handle stress, how well they can follow order, and so on.  It’s ridiculous.

I’m not sure where I’m going with this, I guess I just wanted to let everyone know that they actually do this crap.

It is big in Japan too. For an atheistic country, they are chock full of woo!

I recall in first year of college the kid next to me was criticized by the instructor because his handwriting on an essay question was so small the instructor could hardly read it.  I later asked why he wrote small and he explained that he had read an article claiming that writing size was inversely related to intelligence and that Einstein had very small writing.  Even if that were true, I doubt that it works in reverse—that practicing writing small would make him more intelligent.

Occam

Dead Monky - 14 September 2010 10:44 AM

About 3,000 businesses in the UK</a> alone use it to determine whether or not they will hire someone. 

Are there 3000 calligraphy companies in the U.K.?

Are there 3000 calligraphy companies in the U.K.?

We could only hope.

It is big in Japan too. For an atheistic country, they are chock full of woo! cool hmm

My favorite of which is Bura-Hara, which is the belief that your ABO blood type determines your personality.  It’s incredibly popular there (and in South Korea) and is steeped in old Nazi scientific racism.