What's in a name: Mortality and the power of symbols

One's attitude about oneself, and the treatment one receives from others, might be affected, in some small but measurable way, by stigmatic or salutary labeling due to one's name. If names affect attitudes and attitudes affect longevity, then individuals with “positive” initials (e.g., A.C...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of psychosomatic research 1999-09, Vol.47 (3), p.241-254
Main Authors: Christenfeld, Nicholas, Phillips, David P, Glynn, Laura M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Attitudes
Biological and medical sciences
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Internal-External Control
Labeling
Longevity
Male
Mortality
Names
Power (Psychology)
Psychology and medicine
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Reinforcement, Social
Self Concept
Social Identification
Symbolism
Symbols
Thanatology
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Summary:One's attitude about oneself, and the treatment one receives from others, might be affected, in some small but measurable way, by stigmatic or salutary labeling due to one's name. If names affect attitudes and attitudes affect longevity, then individuals with “positive” initials (e.g., A.C.E., V.I.P.) might live longer than those with “negative” initials (e.g., P.I.G., D.I.E.). Using California death certificates, 1969–1995, we isolated 2287 male decedents with “negative” initials and 1200 with “positive” initials. Males with positive initials live 4.48 years longer ( p
ISSN:0022-3999
1879-1360
DOI:10.1016/S0022-3999(99)00035-5