Science Wants Us To Know That Ugly Handwriting Actually Means We're More Creative

Lex Gabrielle
handwriting
Unsplash | eleni koureas

We were always told that our handwriting had to be perfect when we were younger. In grade school, we were always working on our penmanship and handwriting, perfecting all of our letters and numbers. Teachers would scrutinize us if we wrote too big, too sloppy, or even too small. We would even have lessons in class about handwriting and script.

Nowadays, we hardly even write with pens or pencils.

pens
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With our phones and our computers being the center of our worlds, it's as if writing has taken a backseat in our lives. We hardly have business or even work that we need to do handwriting for. Email has definitely changed the game for the majority of us.

Those who do have messy handwriting prefer it that way, too.

handwriting
Unsplash | Infralist.com

For those who do have messy handwriting and couldn't get it right in class, having to write things can be embarrassing or even triggering for them. If they have to write things for work, business, or even for a personal letter, having a chicken-scratch kind of writing can look bad.

As it turns out, it's not such a bad thing to have bad handwriting.

handwriting
Unsplash | Kenny Eliason

While you may be embarrassed about your lousy handwriting, science says that it's actually a great asset to have and it says a lot about who you are and your strengths. In addition, it also says a lot of things about your personality.

Having messy handwriting means that you are very creative.

handwriting
Unsplash | ConvertKit

Science says that those who have messy handwriting are actually very creative and have a lot of artistic abilities. If you have lousy handwriting, it's also a sign of eccentricity too. These can be seen as positive things.

It also means that you're pretty smart.

handwriting
Unsplash | Kelly Sikkema

Science indicates that having poor handwriting also means you are highly intelligent. Think about doctors when they write things on a prescription pad—we can never read what they are trying to say, even if we know what medicine they're giving us.

Maybe it's because these people don't focus on their handwriting as much.

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One reason that this correlates with bad handwriting could be because these people do not focus as much on their handwriting. They seem to be more focused on their art, their work, or things of that nature, rather than on perfecting their penmanship.

Sometimes, things we see as a "bad thing" are actually good things.

handwriting
Unsplash | Calum MacAulay

Science has a funny way of making us feel better about the things we sort of see as "negatives." One of these is bad handwriting. However, there are a few other things that we sometimes see as bad that can really be seen as normal.

In another recent study, science let us know that our social habits aren't as "bad" as we think.

studies
Unsplash | JESHOOTS.COM

Many of us cycle in and out of friend groups throughout our lives and we oftentimes feel bad about it. Losing friends is not something we take pride in and sometimes, we blame ourselves for people drifting away from us.

According to science, we change friends every few years.

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Unsplash | Windows

The study, which was published in The Netherlands, reported that every seven years, we change our friend groups entirely. The reason for this is because we happen to change, ourselves, every few years, as well.

The more we change, the more we have new needs.

friends
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The more we change in our lives, the more our needs change and our social needs also change too. We tend to change our friends when we undergo big changes and our priorities change, too.

So, if you feel bad about your handwriting or even your friend group—know you're not alone.

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Unsplash | Aaron Burden

You may feel bad about your lousy handwriting, or even how often your friends change, but just know you are not alone. Having bad handwriting means you have a ton of really positive qualities. And, if you look back and realize you have all new friends, don't worry—it's normal!