Michael Shermer Explores Graphology, Part 2

[santajimi]

This is the same as horoscope. Remeber that experiment where students were given a description and they judged it how accurate it is for them and in the end it was revealed they were all given he exact same description? But they all judged it to be pretty accurate for them personally.

[wingedarr0w]

She did some of those cheating "he is introverted but sometimes extroverted" bs.

[DesiFreethinkers]

Here's a nice test, take tests of 10 people, then take the labels off the results so no one can know which is their result, then ask the candidate to honestly pick the result that reflect them...

[1958boomergirl]

I so agree with ManicEightBall and CrazyHorseInvincible. Using pseudoscience and outright superstition as an excuse to reject an otherwise perfectly qualified job applicant----or college applicant, for that matter----is not only scary, it's unethical. Maybe even downright hateful.

[KingOfMadCows]

I hear that Dr. Ekman wanted to come up with a scientific way of studying hand writing. I wonder how that's coming along.

[justicetrooper]

Just life palm reading.

[speedproductions797]

This is junk pseudoscience.

[themessanger4U]

i wrote to penn from penn and teller asking if they could do ashow on this, cause i thought it was bullshit too, but knowing the fact that i can´t prove it, i wanted to see if they could and i finally i saw this

THANK YOU MICHAEL thanks a lot for the video! 

[Heliyotrope]

Of course she believes it - she makes money off of it so her opinion is biased!

[strawberryseason]

What Shermer did in this case with these two "subjects" in no way resembles a scientific experiment.

[omnissient]

0:30 that proves to me that she is not even reading the handwriting. She is just making stuff up and knows that it doesnt work. Fraud.

[seeingglass86]

yeah, as soon as Michael had his done, it was obvious to me that this was just cold reading. I bet that woman didn't do cold reading intentionally but stumbled upon the technique and thought it was a valid tool for examination of others. its too bad she wasn't stopped earlier.

[BarmaidAz]

This is really disturbing. She described me to a T....and I never wrote anything for her to examine! Hmmm.

[SCAREDBANANA]

The stuff that she is saying sounds a lot like those horoscopes that you find in magazines.

[Jazzza13]

I this this is complete bull. What're they're saying could fit anyone anywhere.

[Metalitron12]

Its a quite unfair way for anybody to work there own system in my own opinion. People should not be judged on there handwriting. So yes! I agree with you.

[Jazzza13]

@Metalitron12 Yay thank you :)

[Numumumu]

I'm annoyed that they showed Shermer's analysis to the two 'Sporty' people, when they already knew it matched their personality.

[georgeslut]

u r absolutely right. But it doesnt mean that graphology isn't bullshit.

I would gather few graphologist in one room and i would compare their reading to see it is really fking bs.

[cpueater]

@Numumumu

Agreed, I was just typing the same reply. Though I still think grafology is nonsens. The part in the beginning that "the upper part is mental/analytical" without any reason why  sounds a lot like the simple associations that woowoo artist make.

[doyouhavemybrains]

80% of each of those analysis would fit me and my friend sitting watching this with me. It's obviously so vague and general that people can interpret it as something that they are characterized by. It is a pseudo science.

[mcamoran]

Hire also astrologists to take job interviews based on the horoscopes of the people who just want a job LOL The Middle Ages are gone .

[ManicEightBall]

It's just scary to think your job might be on the line because someone threw chicken bones on the ground to tell your future, or that you are being investigated as a criminal because of how tea leaves landed in a cup. This is no different. This junk science is just immoral.

[DoctorTachyon]

This is the same? Your hand writing comes from you. Write a letter when you are tired, when you are excited, angry, sad. Look and see if there is a difference. Why would it be absurd to look into what you hand does when doing something as mentally intricate as writing. How many part of the brain are working as you do this action? Don't be afraid of things you do not understand yet...

[centrum99]

@DoctorTachyon LOL I really don't understand, why some people - even some clearly intelligent ones - can't grasp something so simple... I call it "a selectively partial debility".

[speedproductions797]

@ManicEightBall this is junk psuedoscience, you're right

[ricki388]

@ManicEightBall you think thats bad eat a poppy seed baygal your urine test at work or a job interview urine specimen comes up as opiate use AND YOU DONT GET THE JOB lol

[FractalHelix777]

I love your videos...and the Olympic runner is hot, so thanks for the bonus! :)

[suntzuthesecond]

Forer effect?

[spawnfan101]

At times you are extroverted, affable, and sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, and reserved. Yes I'm talking to you! Yes you!

[Gesmehod]

The problem is degree of accuracy. I mean, you can hem and haw about how it *sort of* fits you in some ways, like the athlete saying he was "stuck" sort of, but that's because it's a scattershot assessment. It'll rarely pick up on the *most* important aspects of your personality and experience. The ones that really count.

[marlin187]

What a load of crap.

[JonnyBoyMach2]

I think there's another issue - both the arguments for and against graphology appear to rely on 'personality' theories, and include self-reporting . . . (there are assholes in the world - but how many would admit to it?)

[vavavolpe]

but what bothers me the most is that regardless if shermer's point of argument is valid or not...this says nothing about how "true" her statements are...or not.

[vavavolpe]

All of this business about her making positive analysis is highly irrelevant. People come with good and negative traits....some people will have more of a positive analysis than others because some people simply have better traits than others. Also its no wonder people dont react positively about negative analysis because frankly,theres alot of people out there that dont want to hear about (or own up to) ugly characteristics or qualities about their lives or themselves.

[thucydides01984]

The graphologist made several assertions about interpreting characteristics of handwriting. Shermer should have asked "How do you know that? Where are the experiments that revealed this?". There aren't any, I expect. Shermer's little experiments were small and terribly inconclusive.

[halfcabdisaster7]

The reporter seems very manipulative to me and both of those guys were "men of action" they were athletes!

[Feldmm1]

But the woman did not say that about them; she said it about Michael Shermer.

[halfcabdisaster7]

A valid point.

[jophus82]

We call that a variable in science.

[MasterMike44]

if you listen to her like she was talkin about you it would sound familiar right? there was a same sort of test (on youtube) cant remember what it was called where a 'psychic' wrote a letter for 5 people each they said it was amazingly accurate. turned out they all got the same letter...

[cjdaweasel]

James Randi did that on the talk show "Straight Talk"

[thegodblog]

She described the teach to a T. Down to the missing parent. That's something to consider. She said the athlete going to Olympics was unsure if he was up to the coming challenge. Seems she was more correct then wrong.

People always refer back to that test. Have you read it? It was a general description of all people This woman is dealing in specifics. No one trying to do a hustle would risk "a parent was missing" in their bamboozle. Open your mind. She had enough correct for real consideration.

[crazykb]

"She described the teach to a T. Down to the missing parent. That's something to consider. She said the athlete going to Olympics was unsure if he was up to the coming challenge. Seems she was more correct then wrong." Many people have parents that are missing. Not to mention, almost everybody is 'unsure' about their future. This is the same non sense behind Horoscopes.

[CrazyHorseInvincible]

"Missing parent" can mean dead, divorced, absent, or emotionally distant. "Coming challenge" can mean any forthcoming challenge you are uncertain about, which would have to be any upcoming challenge you give a second thought. Amazingly specific.

[joshuamarius]

The results are just way too broad and if a room is filled up with 10 people it's clearly obvious that about 7 of them would say "Yea that sounds like me". Two of them said that Shermer's writing analysis were more closer to them than the analysis of their own writing. Many people share similar things...

Oh and also, I used to write in cursive for about 4 years, then I switched to non-cursive slanted to the right, and now for the past 8 years my handwriting is non-cursive and not slanted.

[sweetpeakilla013]

Man this dude seems like hes getting hard trying to prove her wrong. Didnt she say manipulative about the reprters handwriting? Well he proves the case very well for her.

[therugdoctoranimesux]

Reading #1 applies to me EXACTLY, (including the "except for the mom part, she got the wrong parent"!) Cool. Haha.

[MarsellaFyngold]

lol, scientific method here is pretty poor. The sample size is too small, extremely skewed, and, note how those who were shown his sample were those who were also male and more likely to share characteristics in common with him.

I agree that graphology isn't a science in that it doesn't use the scientific method: forma hypothesis, experimen, observe, revise and edit hypothesis. However, that doesn't mean that it's complete bunk. More accurate experimentation is required.

[anothercan]

So he purposely mislead people with one that sound really great and one that was bad. She didn't say she was saying things to make them feel good or reading the future. He didn't prove or disprove anything at all with this video

[shubidubar]

too general

[TheThomaswastaken]

I don't get this video series. Michael is a notorious skeptic, but he is soft-selling things which are obviously false. I go in with an open mind, but with a clear memory of all the times I have been shown the falsity of these claims of pseudosciences. With nothing but this video to go on I would be left with no clear answers to whether this is believable or bunk. That, in my opinion, is not the point of skepticism.

[centrum99]

@TheThomaswastaken Mr Shermer likes writing about things he does not know anything about.

[Cosmodot256]

"... My handwriting has actually changed over the years and depending on the various factors can look different from day to day. Wonder how the analyst takes that into consideration."

I'm also pretty skeptical, but I would answer your question by asking you if you always feel emotionally the same day to day and if you've also changed over the years? Lots of things change over time and it's not unreasonable to predict that many of them may coincide. Real science performs research. Where's hers?

[namita9012021]

contd..

and most fascinating, form your writing, a Vedic graphologist can tell about your maternal/paternal uncle's health, financial status, social status and the life of his kids as well... dont believe it?? Go ahead and try it..maybe then u'll understand WHY its a SCIENCE and not pseudo-science...

[igottaexplain]

and i hear some advanced graphologists can even make predictions based on a person's writing on a keyboard!

[11thsockpuppet]

Reiki and vedic stuff are very science. Very much science.

Because through the science of reiki and the science of vedic meditation you can channel the mystical energies of the universe.

By reaching an elevated state of counciousness, you transcend the physical reality and have access to the spiritual realm. Thus, the science of reiki and veda enable you to to break free from the constraints of the physical world and have total control over energy and matter.

MYSTICAL NODES OF ENERGY=SCIENCE

[namita9012021]

Graphology is a very BIG science which originated decades back in relation to many psychology theories and many other sciences such as Reiki. It is in fact NOT a pseudo-science as it is verifiable and can be proved. Graphology based on vedas, in fact, can tell thigns from your writing such as diseases, ailments, specific locations of pain, cancer, criminal behaviour...

[naruto00000000]

The lady expert of graphology in the video was pushing it out of the limit with graphology. Graphology is just for basic personality identification such as extroversion, introversion, etc...

Also, other pseudo-sciences for personality exist such as astrology and palmistry. Astrology is much more in depth and there is more backing to it and has been practiced for thousands of years, while palmistry has medical-scientific explanations.

[ws83fam]

My favorite statement " He probly learns best from reading and studying". HOW THE HELL ELSE YOU GONNA LEARN???

[PrinceTalbot]

I learn best through listening and reading does almost nothing for me.

Many people can't learn that well from reading.

[roadrunnergs]

lol - I am left-handed and therefore started to write with a lot of slant to the left in the first grade in order to avoid smudging the undried ink from the pen. When writing without lines one could avoid this also when writing upwards. This behaviour almost vanished when getting older. Now aged 28 i lost my tittles completely because they are a complete waste of time. My brothers, two years the junior of me, also is a lefthander, but retought to right-hand - his writing is a total mess...

[charliehorse12345]

what the hell is this, i call this pseudo science and i'm a graphologist

[TheIdijot]

I was tought at school to curve my letters a bit to the right...what does that say about me?

[kives1985]

Poor test?

This is an entertainment show.

How the hell can people defend this crap anyway? It's retarded. Nobody's going to know anything about me through my handwriting, sans maybe that my handwriting sucks. LOL. This graphology crap is pure BS.

[RobertlewisIR]

The way I see it, there are certain features of handwriting that can be used to determine certain factors. For instance, certain characteristics could indicate emotional distress during the writing. But I'm extremely skeptical of graphology as a personality test.

[ilovesamsungverymuch]

[Cont]

The three persons' reactions to the interpretations are, of course, inaccurate and very prone to bias.

[ilovesamsungverymuch]

I think graphology is somewhat related to psychology. Michael Shermer DID NOT MAKE A VALID AND RELIABLE TEST on the value of graphology.

The three persons in the show (the lady, the biker, and the runner/black man) should not be asked if the interpretations for them are correct or incorrect. There should have been other ways (running a battery of personality tests to these three persons) done to test the validity and reliability of graphology. The three persons' reactions to the interpretations

[xaint1153]

Hardly scientific to substitute a "hardline journalist' writing" for "an outgoing athlete". She's not psychic. One energetic outgoing person can clearly appear an another energetic outgoing person.

[gnuworldorder]

Why can't we require licensing for these people? You can't open a hot dog stand without a license, but you can defraud innocent people with this nonsense.

[gnuworldorder]

I am tall, or maybe short. One of my parents died, either the mother or the father. I get excited when exciting things happen, but I get bored when exciting things don't happen. Sometimes I feel good, sometimes I feel bad. I am a man of action, except when I don't feel like doing anything.

Does this sound familiar?

[fc007]

Wait a minute!? That's my reading!

Oh man, I got screwed!

[gnuworldorder]

You are stubborn, but not inflexible. You like to eat sweets, but not to excess. You are energetic, except for when you are tired. You are sometimes rebelious, but often follow the rules. Sometimes you feel sleepy after a heavy meal.

Does this sound familiar?

You owe me $700.00.

[ilovesamsungverymuch]

I think graphology is somewhat related to psychology. Michael Shermer DID NOT MAKE A VALID AND RELIABLE TEST on the value of graphology.

The three persons in the show (the lady, the biker, and the runner/black man) should not be asked if the interpretations for them are correct or incorrect. There should have been other ways (running a battery of personality tests to these three persons) done to test the validity and reliability of graphology....

[BSintolerant]

The guy at the end of the show made a good point..... How does this lady come to her conclusions anyways? I mean all thoses adjetives must come from somewhere :)

[BSintolerant]

bodwisa..Don't pretend there is not a lot of controversy over the bible. Since the public finally got access to the bible they have been fighting about it ever since. Some christians are literally mental terrorist, provoking the critism of the bible even more.

[bodwisa]

I find it extremely revealing that this video in which Michael Shermer criticizes the Bible got almost five times as many views as the videos in which he criticized psychics, mediums and other kinds of superstitions that are far more harmful than Christianity and based on much less evidence. It was precisely what I expected and confirms what I've always suspected about most people.

[bodwisa]

It is further proof that the real reason why people are so attracted to criticisms of the Bible and attacks against Christianity is simply because of the morality that it requires of them. They are not really against spirituality or superstition so long as it doesn't require them to be subject to a divine moral authority.

[kilroy1964]

Poor test. Should have several readings, let the subjects see all of them and try to choose their own (for instance). This ad hoc test proved nothing either way.

[JillianSwift]

Agreed. I'd suggest something blind - subjects fill out a series of questions about themselves, then have the 'graphologist' fill out the same questions during 'analysis'.

[stikmata07]

not a sufficient debunking for me. My search continues.

[zbvhs]

For comparison check the Graphoanalysis entry in Wikipedia. Graphoanalysis was developed in the 1920s by a man named Bunker. He spent ten years correlating handwriting traits with personality traits he saw in various test subjects. Validation of Graphoanalysis seems firmer than Graphology.

[zbvhs]

The fundamental thing I missed in the Graphology videos was a question about the empirical basis for Graphology. Graphology is highly subjective and lacks validation. The Wikipedia entry for Graphology carries a big caveat warning that attempts to validate it may be biased.

[skepticslayer1234]

Please remember Shermer has an agenda, if he can't fraudulently or honestly debunk something he will be out of business. Why does he refuse to look at the evidence that his guru James Randi is a liar? Because he has a very transparent agenda, and he is afraid of the truth.

[gongtatoot]

well...skeptic slayer. lol jesus can't belive you call yourself the skeptic slayer. jesus. there's always something to debunk. lots of stupid things in this world. he doesnt have to make shit up. even if he does...it takes other skeptics to debunk him then

[skepticslayer1234]

gongatoot,I debunk debunkers, it's fun.Randi lied when I applied to take his million dollar challenge I insisted we video tape the procedure because I didn't trust him.Randi then rejected my challenge saying I refused any photo taking.I told Shermer that if he is a real skeptic that he should be aware of his "inspirations" blatant lies.Cowardly Shermer refused to even look at the evidence. Truth, not agenda, should be the goal of of guy who publishes Skeptic magazine.

[ajc06]

Ha, ever heard of "projection"? If people wake up and realize that this pseudoscientific crap is just that--crap--then people like you and all the other palmists, mediums, psychics, astrologers, and so on, will be out of business. They (and you) are the ones who have a vested interest in keeping the public (or should I say, potential marks) from understanding how full of it you are.

[skepticslayer1234]

ajc06 I am so tired of the ignorant crap idiots like you "project" You have never studied anything you condem, yet you arrogantly spout off. How intelligent is that? You and other idiots like you and Shermer and Randi are who need to wake up.

[ajc06]

So many words, and yet no actual argument--nothing but insults like "you're an arrogant idiot." Aren't you even going to attempt to counter my argument that "psychics" and "mediums" stand to lose EVERYTHING financially if there are no believers to hoodwink? Of course you can't argue against it, because it's 100% true. Hey, want to put Shermer and Randi "out of business"? Stop scamming people with your ridiculous nonsense and creating a need for people like Randi!

[skepticslayer1234]

ajc06 I repeat,"you never studied anything you condem" only an idiot would do that. Randi is a liar and runs from my honesty challenge, so who really has the most to lose, me or the lying Randi. Ask Randi yourself why he runs.Bet you won't because you are as big a coward as Randi and Shermer

[fuckfuckfuckfuckcock]

A lot of it, I bet, has to do with the content of the writing. You can tell a lot about a person by the words they use.

[MachineManX51]

I completely echo everything already stated by KingHeathen and would like to add that she makes two classical logical fallacies all con artists make: shifting the burden of proof and citing experiential proof.

She reminds me of a faith healer.

[KingHeathen]

Her comments could apply to almost anyone. Who DOESN'T prefer not to be interrupted while performing a task? Who DOESN'T like excitement in their lives? And then there's the confimation bias. Plus, the runner just bought into the idea of being "stuck" in one place because he's at the top of his game. It shows how gullible we can be sometimes.

[KingHeathen]

This is simply another form of cold reading. Darren Brown did a similar experiment where he gave 4 different groups around the world all the same reading and almost every single one of them thought it was extremely accurate.

[xKCBEx]

One thing I didn't see in this video. Note how they're all using ball point pens. I myself still use a dip pen (quill) on occasion, what would she say to that if one was a ball point and the other was a quill, would the analysis be different?

[GeneNowok]

hahaha! What a stupidity! Yeah, women tend 2 believe in such stupidities. And some employers, who r generally stupid, tend 2 believe it 2. U CANNOT say ANYTHING about a person by analysing their handwriting. It's all guesswork. that's what it is. But i can say something about her. She's not loved but desperatelly wants 2.

[teflonpower]

I'm disappointing in your limited low-minded opinion of women in general. Who do you think you are to make such a sexist comment like that? Graphology may not be scientific but that does not mean you have to insult half the population with your ignorance.

[teflonpower]

Reply below refers to GeneNowok's comment, " What a stupidity! Yeah, women tend 2 believe in such stupidities."

[GeneNowok]

Hahaha! Did i strike the right nerve with my comment? And believe me, she's not loved but desperately seeks love, like every woman. And i dont need any graphology 2 know that, lol! All i need is psychology or better still parapsychology which DOES work.

[danno321s]

Throw enough darts and some will hit the bullseye.  People tend to want to believe so they focus on the darts that hit the bullseye and go wow.

[usefkl05]

Very interesting video.  The first time I heard about graphology, it was from a psychologist friend, so I thought it was a formal, evidence based science. On the other hand... human related research, such as medicine, is never 100% accurate, never 100% true for 100% of the population. Perhaps graphology falls into this category? Certainly this video shows strong evidence against.

[DrXP59]

If you ask any body: Do you consider yourself as an intuitive person, he/she will answer directly: Yes. 99.99999% of people think that they are intuitive persons in a certain degree! If you analyze anyone's personality, no one will mind if you describe him/her with positive traits!! This is seen in all arts that study human personality and it is also seen in all psychological tests!!

[skepticslayer1234]

DrXP59 Why do you assume only positive traits are revealed in graphology? Billion dollar corporations in both America and Europe use graphology to ferrit out undesirable traits too. Your comment was a very silly one.

[DrXP59]

skepticslayer1234 I meant that the accuracy of any personality test can not be 100%. The silly thing is if a person investigates the validity of graphology or any other science by testing 3 persons only!

[skepticslayer1234]

DrXP59 I am 67 years old I have been a graphologist since I was in my thirties. It is a tool that has an accuracy rate of 88% does psychology claim a higher rate? Who validates anything by only 3 people? Maybe Shermer, perhaps because he has an agenda to support.

[radoyon]

Graphology is much like astrology - the analysis is so vague that it can apply to many people. Some propose that one cannot look critically at a claim of specialized skills (astrology, etc.) if one isn't an expert in that field. That is silly. It is the questioning and testing of things that we don't know that allows us to learn. Learn about the scientific method and stay away from Russell Stevens executive search!

[skepticslayer1234]

Your comment on graphology is the usual diatribe made by someone who has never studied the subject. How intelligent is it to make comments on something you know nothing about? A preconceived agenda is suicide to intelligent open minded inquiry.

[MrFacet]

Where can we find the Journal of Graphological Proceedings?

[skepticslayer1234]

Never heard of the Journal you ask of.

[AquaOceanWave]

Great Video. Very Interesting.

[skepticslayer1234]

Just like astrology? I guess you mean it is exceedingly accurate when someone knows what they are doing because of much study. I have to agree.

[Jaydarell]

This is just like Astrology

[skepticslayer1234]

Having an agenda that one uses to closed mindedly deceive is devious, and shows lack of character & professional ethics.I have been a student of and a professional practioner of handwriting analysis for over 30 years. Shermer has admited to me he knows nothing about it. Some scientific investigator he is!

[Mojofilter17]

Doesn't everyone have an agenda though?

And the rest of what you said didn't really make any points at all. What is your argument for the use of graphology?

[skepticslayer1234]

Shermer should be ashamed of himself using the kid for his own agenda driven reasons. Shermer should open his mind and stop trying to be like his cowardly hero James Randi. Billion dollar corporations in America and Europe use graphology, and for damn good reasons.

[matthewlemon]

and....dogs eat there poop, my wife buys clothes...doesnt mean its good for them or that she needs to.....its just done...thats not proof it works. Just that people use it....

[kitepilot]

I never write in cursive or longhand I print everything, always have and I always will. It looks different depending on weather I am in a hurry or if I intend on anyone else reading it. If a company were to try to use my writing to evaluate me I suppose I would have multiple personalities? I would be interested in your opinion on that.

[skepticslayer1234]

For a job applicant an analyst will request at least 3 samples of your writing, usually 1 year ago, six months ago, and today. Looking for what traits are visible in all three samples to determine what traits are permanent or transitory.We all have multiple personalities depending on a given situation.

[SaintJerome]

You say without any evidence whatsoever. Do you think this is the only test to ever be done on this? It's not, it's just to show how the tests are done. Not a single double blind study has ever shown effectiveness of graphology. If you want I will post the links to scientific journal articles.

[skepticslayer1234]

SaintJerome post those links. It never ceases to amaze me how those who have no knowledge can have strong opinions of subjects they have never studied. The scientific term for that malady is the James Randi syndrome

[RobertlewisIR]

There are certain aspects of it that may be true. An angry or upset person will write differently than if he is calm. However, to pick out personality traits seems like bunk to me.  Some of these people even say they can tell what you ate for breakfast by reading a sample of your handwriting!

[beforever]

Shermer is awesome, and a man of action.

[theSouliLLUSION]

It would have been interesting to hear her analysis of BTK's handwritting.