There are three scientific studies that show how names can affect people’s lives. In one study in Germany, researchersperformed an experiment to see if people are more likely to assist those with more popular names. The researchers pretended to be an employer sending out replies to job applicants. They sent the emails to strangers to see how they would react to receiving the message meant forsomeone else. Some people replied to these emails to correct the mistakes and help the applicants, while others ignored the emails altogether. The results showed that when applicants with different names were applying for the same kinds of jobs, people were more likely to help the applicants with names that sounded more positive.
In another study in Beijing, the goal was to observe if there might be a connection between so-called “bad” names and crime. The study showed that people with names that are considered less “warm” or “moral” would be more likely to commit a crime in the future.
In still another study, researchers studied the relationship between names and career choices. They found that people with unique names were more likely to choose unusual career paths.
In Shakespeare’s famous play Romeo and Juliet , the author poses the question: “What’s in a name?” Judging by the studies mentioned, we can confidently answer that it’s quite a lot indeed.
