Doodling is a habit that few can admit to not indulging in whenever boredom, stress or tiredness take over!
We might be sat at our desk, or on the phone, concentrating on a task or conversation in hand, and before we know it, whatever piece of paper happened to be in front of us is adorned with smiley faces, stick men and daisy chains!!
All these little doodles might seem inane, but it’s a little known fact that doodles can actually reveal volumes about our personality and mood.
According to Ruth Rostron, a professional handwriting analyst and vice-chair of the British Institute of Graphologists, ‘we’re usually only half-conscious of what we’re drawing when doodling, which means our inner preoccupations surface on paper.’ .
As a general rule, rounded shapes and curved lines are adopted by emotional people, while drawing faces, in particular, is a habit of those who tend to see the good in others. Stars suggest optimism, while sketching flowers suggests an amiable personality. Practical types tend to use straight lines and squares, and those with innate determination lean towards drawing corners, zigzags and triangles. If your’re prone to filling pages with dainty squiggles, chances are you’re a reserved type, while scribbling is a sign of frustration.
As for the level of truth in any of these generalisations, it’s somewhat debatable, but at a time when we’re generally feeling more reflective, and attuned to opportunities for self-understanding, it might be interesting to see what surfaces when your mind and a biro are left to their own devices.
For flagging up strengths, weaknesses and personality traits we perhaps weren’t necessarily aware of, doodling is a useful and easy exercise. One that serves more purpose than just passing the time, especially if your mind has begun to wonder in the ‘what next?!’ direction (as many of ours have!!) .
Herein those little smiley face scribbles, might just lie a useful nod to an untapped skill set ... even if art isn’t one of them!