| [February 07, 2012] |
 |
New Study Reveals People with Easy-to-Pronounce Names Are Favored at Work and in Personal Life
NEW YORK --(Business Wire)--
Having a simple, easy-to-pronounce name is more likely to win you
friends and favor in the workplace, a study by Dr Simon Laham at the
University of Melbourne and Dr Adam Alter at New York University Stern
School of Business, has found.
In the first study of its kind, and published in the Journal of
Experimental Social Psychology, researchers analyzed how the
pronunciation of names can influence impression formation and
decision-making. In particular, they demonstrated "the name
pronunciation effect," which occurs when people with easy-to-pronounce
names are evaluated more positively than those with
difficult-to-pronounce names.
The study revealed that:
-
People with more pronounceable names were more likely to be favored
for political office and job promotions
-
Political candidates with easy-to-pronounce names were more likely to
win a race than those without, based on a mock ballot study
-
Attorneys ith more pronounceable names rose more quickly to superior
positions in their firm hierarchies, based on a field study of 500
first and last names of US lawyers
Lead author, Dr Simon Laham said subtle biases that we are not aware of
affect our decisions and choices. "Research findings revealed that the
effect is not due merely to the length of a name or how foreign-sounding
or unusual it is, but rather how easy it is to pronounce," he said.
Dr Adam Alter who conducted the law firm analysis said this effect
probably also exists in other industries and in many everyday contexts.
"People simply aren't aware of the subtle impact that names can have on
their judgments," Dr Alter said.
Dr Laham said the results had important implications for the management
of bias and discrimination in our society.
"It's important to appreciate the subtle biases that shape our choices
and judgments about others. Such an appreciation may help us de-bias our
thinking, leading to fairer, more objective treatment of others," he
said.
Researchers conducted studies both in lab settings and in a natural
environment using a range of names from Anglo, Asian, and Western and
Eastern European backgrounds.
This research builds on Dr Alter's earlier work, which suggests that
financial stocks with simpler names tend to outperform similar stocks
with complex names immediately after they appear on the market.
To read the full paper, visit: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103111002927
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
|
TMCnet LOGIN
Webinars
