What Your Doodling Style Reveals About Your Personality
(Photo: Thinkstock)
Somewhere, maybe buried deep in your parents’ basement, might lie a treasure trove of information about your teenaged psyche — a glimpse into the years that made you the person you are today. They’re your high school doodles: the drawings you absent-mindedly etched out in your notebook as your Algebra teacher droned on and on. They helped pass the time and, apparently, they actually provided a window to your very soul.
In BuzzFeed’s latest quiz —”What Did Your High School Notebook Doodles Say About You” — illustrator Loryn Brantz creates a snap psychological profile based on your high school doodle genre of choice. If you say you preferred to doodle characters of your own making, the quiz deducts that you’re a loner who was too “busy being awesome by yourself” to be popular. If you were the type to write your name in big balloon letters, the quiz finds that you “were planning big things in high school You most likely blossomed after high school.” And if you didn’t doodle at all, “you’re a robot and probably had perfect grades.”
(Photo: Thinkstock)
Do the findings in the BuzzFeed quiz compute? (Forgive the pun: I scored “Robot” in the quiz.”) Fact is, many of us never stop doodling; as long as there are boring work meetings, there’ll be doodles. Whether it’s an old high school notebook or your “notes” from the last staff meeting, can you glean information about someone based on what they doodle?
Of course you can, say the experts. “The principles in doodles are similar [to that of handwriting analysis] says handwriting expert Sheila Lowe, author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Handwriting Analysis” and president of the American Handwriting Analysis Foundation. While she acknowledges that guessing personalities based on doodles is a “broad generalization,” Lowe says doodles do lend themselves to analysis based on what’s drawn. “There are a few basic shape principles. Rounded shapes point to a need for love. Triangular shapes reveal a focus on sex. Square shapes have to do with a need for security. Wiggly or amorphous shapes that use all three forms tend to point to creativity.”
So, what did the teenage you like to doodle, and what do you doodle now? Let’s take a look at those etchings, and see what they may mean about you:
Straight Lines
(Illustration: Thinkstock)
BuzzFeed concludes people fond of drawing lines and/or crosshatching were bored easily, but Lowe thinks it could mean something else.
“Depends on how close together the crossed lines are, but it could be that the person is trying to cover up something they’d rather not reveal. Or they might be mathematically inclined and thinking over a problem.” Maybe you can tell that to that old Algebra teacher and score some retroactive extra credit for your doodles.
Flowers
(Illustration: Thinkstock)
A penchant for drawing flowers had you pegged as a high school “cutie,” says BuzzFeed. Lowe thinks that’s not too far off. She says drawn flowers are a sign of someone with a sunny, happy personality who likes to look on the bright side. That is, as long as the flowers aren’t wilted!” Because getting caught drawing wilted flowers in high school is a good way to earn a trip to the school counselor.
Letters
(Illustration: Thinkstock)
Drawing big letters might peg you as “the social butterfly,” as BuzzFeed concludes. But Lowe has a different take. “This person spends a lot of time fantasizing, rather than getting down to basics and getting things done,” Lowe says. “There is creativity and lots of room for ideas, but less energy devoted to putting them to practical use.”
Dead Stick Figures
(Illustration: Thinkstock)
If you like drawing morbid pics of stick figures, are you a troublemaker as Buzzfeed suggests? Maybe not, says Lowe. “It’s possibly a way of dealing with angry feelings towards someone,” she says. “ It might be just that the person is bored and would like to find their way out of the situation in which he finds himself.”
Your Own Signature
(Illustration: Thinkstock)
Doodled signatures may not always reveal thoughts of future greatness, as BuzzFeed suggests. When it comes to analyzing the meaning behind signatures, size matters. “If it’s written large, then the person sees themselves as larger than life.” says Lowe. “If it’s very small, s/he might be depressed and wishing s/he could disappear.” And Lowe says there’s even a third option. “If it’s written several different ways, it may be that the person wants to try on a new identity.”
No Doodling
(Illustration: Thinkstock)
While BuzzFeed labels non-doodles as “robots,” Lowe had a slightly darker take. “Secretive, perhaps paranoid,” Lowe says. “Or simply very pragmatic.”
Intricate patterns
(Illustration: Thinkstock)
Are doodlers of intricate patterns daydreamers, as BuzzFeed suggests. Maybe, says Lowe — but there could be more to it. “The person may be feeling stressed and conflicted, trying to put all the pieces together,” Lowe suggests. “They’re feeling pulled in different directions and trying to make sense of it all. Creativity is probably a factor, too.”
Made Up Characters
BuzzFeed suggests drawing made-up characters indicates you’re a loner. Lowe has a different take: “Creativity, a fun-loving spirit,” she says. But she adds if the character is ugly or morbid, that may mean something different (see the dead stick figure).
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