海外文化:英美民俗 筆體學

【英文原文】

摘要：筆體學旨在研究人的筆跡以提示人的性格。雖然大多數科學家稱之爲僞科學，筆體學在歐洲仍然流行。美國有些公司在僱傭員工時也要徵求筆體學家的意見。

Graphology is the study of a person’s handwriting to reveal something about his or her personality. Although most scientists regard graphology as a pseudoscience, its practice is widespread in Europe. Many American business firms consult graphologists for advice about which people to hire.

Some principles of graphology are true. For example, handwriting can show whether a person is sick, old, or nervous. But most of the other principles of graphology lack scientific proof. For example, graphologists claim that lines slanting upward indicate high spirits, and that lines slanting downward show low spirits.

The serious study of the relationship between handwriting and personality has been more widespread in Europe than in other places in the world. In the last 19th century, the French psychologist Alfred Binet tested seven graphologists. He asked them to distinguish writing samples of average man. All the graphologists performed better than expected, and one scored correctly on 92 per cent of the cases. But most other attempts to prove the exact relationships between personality and handwriting have not been successful.

Though graphology probably has limited value, many psychologists consider the study of handwriting a useful method to obtain information about a patient’s personality without asking direct questions about it. Several universities in Europe still teach graphology courses now.

【中文譯文】

筆體學旨在研究人的筆跡以提示人的性格。雖然大多數科學家稱之爲僞科學，筆體學在歐洲仍然流行。美國有些公司在僱傭員工時也要徵求筆體學家的意見。

筆體學的某些原則還是可信的。比如，筆跡可以顯示一個人是否有病、衰老或精神緊張。但其他說法，如向上斜的橫線表明一個人情緒高昂，向下斜的橫線表一個人心灰意冷，則缺乏科學根據。

在歐洲，有人對筆跡與人格的關聯做過認真的研究。19世紀末，法國心理學家比奈測試了七位筆體學家，要求他們從很多人筆跡中辨認出智商較高者的筆跡。所有的筆體學家的正確率都相當不錯，其中一個的正確率高達92%。但試圖證實筆跡與人格關係的其他研究都沒有獲得成功。

雖然筆體學的價值有限，但有些心理學家認爲研究筆跡仍不失爲一種從側面瞭解病人人格的辦法。歐洲的一些大學裏仍有筆體學課程。