What your name says about you
The Name Game
Sarah Baicker
Issue date: 9/20/04 Section: Scene
Your name. You're stuck with it for at least 18 years, if not your entire life. Maybe you've lucked out, and you like your name. Maybe you feel trapped with a name that is completely and totally ill-fitting, embarrassing or just plain wrong. Or, perhaps, you're like me, "blessed" with one of the most common names of your generation (in the junior class alone, there are 32 Sarahs).
No matter your name - or your feelings toward it - there are many people out there who believe a name says a lot about you, and that it's entirely possible to learn about a person based on their name alone, without ever meeting them. For instance, one study conducted in the early 1900s showed that children with unusual names were more likely than the rest of us to be maladjusted. Another study in 1974 showed that rare and unusual names were accompanied by guilt and low self esteem.
Some evidence has surfaced that says your attractiveness is even rated differently depending on your name. According to one study conducted at MIT, men's names are "sexiest" if they contain vowel sounds formed at the front of the mouth, like "e" or "i," in names like Ben or Tim. Names with sounds such as "u" tend to score lower, so if your name is Paul, it might be a little harder to find a date.
The study showed the opposite effect for women's names. Girls with names like Laura (with "round" vowel sounds) scored the highest ratings of attractiveness. If your name is Amy or Emma, however...well, sorry.
The evidence in favor of these findings is pretty strong, but don't fret too much: according to Amy Perfors, who conducted the study, "If you're a good looking person with a bad name you're still more attractive than an unattractive person with a good name."
The study also said that men with the most "masculine-sounding" names like Mike were rated as most attractive, but that the femininity of women's names had no effect on their perceived attractiveness. In other words, tomboyish names were okay.
No matter your name - or your feelings toward it - there are many people out there who believe a name says a lot about you, and that it's entirely possible to learn about a person based on their name alone, without ever meeting them. For instance, one study conducted in the early 1900s showed that children with unusual names were more likely than the rest of us to be maladjusted. Another study in 1974 showed that rare and unusual names were accompanied by guilt and low self esteem.
Some evidence has surfaced that says your attractiveness is even rated differently depending on your name. According to one study conducted at MIT, men's names are "sexiest" if they contain vowel sounds formed at the front of the mouth, like "e" or "i," in names like Ben or Tim. Names with sounds such as "u" tend to score lower, so if your name is Paul, it might be a little harder to find a date.
The study showed the opposite effect for women's names. Girls with names like Laura (with "round" vowel sounds) scored the highest ratings of attractiveness. If your name is Amy or Emma, however...well, sorry.
The evidence in favor of these findings is pretty strong, but don't fret too much: according to Amy Perfors, who conducted the study, "If you're a good looking person with a bad name you're still more attractive than an unattractive person with a good name."
The study also said that men with the most "masculine-sounding" names like Mike were rated as most attractive, but that the femininity of women's names had no effect on their perceived attractiveness. In other words, tomboyish names were okay.
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