11. Letters that are mostly uniform in size vs. inconsistent in size
Some people have handwriting so perfect, it could be a font. In that case, the uniformity suggests rigidity, Poizner says—perhaps someone who tends to be obsessive or compulsive.
However, handwriting that’s comfortably consistent—hinting at regularity rather than rigidity—likely comes from someone who is calibrated and balanced. “We want people to have enough self-discipline that they can conform to social norms as necessary, and that includes creating modulated, legible handwriting,” Poizner explains.
Handwriting full of variability in size and other characteristics may be the sign of a modulation problem—something Poizner says likely has implications for the writer’s mood and possibly behavior. “This may be the sensitive person who is highly responsive to stimuli,” she says. “It may be a person who is referred to as ‘psychologically young,’ who is still working through the chaotic emotions of childhood and has not created a singular ego identity—an organized expression of self that would serve as an anchor in the personality. And this is somebody who is potentially chaotic in time and place: coming late, losing things and dropping the ball.”