Does your writing slant to the left? It says something about you!
Graphology is the analysis of the physical attributes of one’s handwriting, which leads to indications of certain personality characteristics and even current psychological states (moods). “If you [insert particular handwriting attribute] then you’re [insert basic personality trait].” Such a template is also very common in non-medical “personality” tests, often found in magazines or online, where handwriting can be replaced by zodiac signs, personality groups (e.g. Type A personality) and so on.
The tendency to believe in the accuracy of personality descriptions, based on handwriting, horoscopes, fortune telling, and certain types of personality tests, is an error in judgment that exists for laypersons and professionals alike. Dubbed the “Barnum” effect, or the “Forer” effect, the phenomenon was first researched by Bertram R. Forer (1948) in a study conducted on his psychology students.
In the study, Forer gave each student an individualized personality vignette consisting of 13 personality descriptions (e.g. “You have a great need for others to like and admire you”) and asked them to rate how well each sentence applied to them. In reality, Forer gave every student the same 13 sentences, but the students rated the accuracy 4.26 on average, out of 5 (Forer, 1949). The “Barnum” effect was coined in 1956 by psychologist Paul Meehl, who related vague, generalized personality descriptions to the circus entertainer P.T. Barnum, a showman notorious for performing and promoting hoaxes.
Like other psychological tests, graphology is applied to important aspects of life such as employment profiling, psychological analysis, marital compatibility, medical diagnosis, or certain types of therapy. Thus, their reliability and validity need to be rigorously tested if results are to be taken seriously. Despite graphology still being considered a pseudoscience, it is still sometimes used in psychological analysis along with other projective personality tests. In addition, graphotherapy has been developed with the aim to improve one’s handwriting, theoretically changing features of their personality.
Is there evidence that graphology and similar psychological tests are accurate and reliable? More recent research does not support the validity of graphology being used to assess personality, job performance, and other human attributes. Nonetheless, they remain prominent in modern society, including scientific communities as well.
How can we make people aware of these hoaxes? Unfortunately, as their name suggests, generalized statements are easy to relate to, and people easily fall into the “Barnum” effect trap, even more so when the statements are agreeable.
Is there any harm in believing in generalized personality descriptions? Just like any inaccurate personality description, there is the risk of wrongful labeling and the self-fulfilling prophecy. However, in this case, damage is usually minimal, as generalized statements mostly remain neutral to remain general.
