What does your doodle mean?

Karina Bailey
Authored by Karina Bailey
Posted Friday, February 28, 2014 - 11:17am

When you’re on the phone or just sat thinking with a pen in your hand the chances are you’ll be doodling. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had to re-write notes before because I drew all over the page! I’ve even found myself doodling while I’ve been taking minutes during a board meeting and still managed to understand my minutes at the end of it.

The reason I’ve been researching this topic is because I doodled while thinking of a blog topic to write for my business blog. Instead of scrapping the page in my notebook, it made me think about why I’d scribbled the things I did, so I went on an internet search to try to find out why I had doodled my flowers, house, squiggles and ‘cat’ face.

And this is what I found out from The British Institute of Graphologists and Liquid Blue Flame at Deviant Art:

When we doodle we’re in a semi-conscious state, we’re thinking of something other than the telephone conversation we’re having or the idea that we’re running through; and for that reason the doodle tells us a lot about what is really going on in our brain and how we are really feeling. So unbeknown to me I wasn’t just solely ‘thinking’ of blog topics. Doodles are very revealing, they are in effect mind maps.

Here are a few common Doodles and there meaning:

Faces:

The expression on a doodled face is often a good indication of the mood or character of the person who has drawn it. A nicely drawn, good-looking face suggests you see the good in others. If you sketch weird or ugly faces, you are probably mistrustful.

Flowers:

Soft, rounded petals around a circular flower centre suggest an easy to get on with, family-centred person.
If the centre of your flower is a circle, but your petals are pointy, you are probably hiding a warm heart behind a prickly demeanour.

If you doodle a bunch of perky-looking flowers you are likely to be sociable, drooping flower heads, can show you’re burdened by worry.

Houses:

This is a common doodle and indicates a need for security. A neat drawing of a house suggests a secure home life, a more messy-looking sketch, especially one without windows is a bit darker and indicates unhappiness with your home life.

Stars:

Stars are often drawn by ambitious people. Lots of little stars indicate optimism. If you’ve drawn one big, bold, embellished star, you’ve got a definite goal in your sights.

Neat, uniform stars suggest good mental focus, while freehand, asymmetric stars show an energetic personality.

Zigzags or Squiggles:

Just as patterns made up of soft, flowing, curvy lines suggest a romantic, female approach to things, patterns made up of lots of straight lines, indicate more aggressive masculine characteristics.

Zigzags are a particularly common doodle and show energetic thinking and a desire to get on with things.

Intricate Patterns:

Busy, highly-detailed doodles are often drawn by people with an obsessive nature, who simply will not let go of their ambitions or loved ones. This type of drawing is often a favourite with extreme introverts.

Cats:

In some instances, cats can indicate unresolved envy or jealousy. Depending upon circumstances, cats can also indicate a spiritual awakening.

Stick People:

Doodled by successful people, the simple stick figure reveals someone who is in control of their emotions and focused on their goals.

Interestingly it’s National Doodle Day on the 7th March 2014 which supports the work of Epilepsy Action. http://doodle-day.epilepsy.org.uk/ And I didn’t know that before I started to research my Doodles! So they have definitely given me something to think about.

So, next time you’ve had a doodle! Don’t just bin it, take a look at your doodle and try to work out what you were really thinking & feeling.

britishgraphology.org
deviantart.com

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