Aug 24, 2009

Does Your Surname Affect Your Life?

Did you know that 17 of the past 20 British prime ministers have surnames beginning with letters in the first half of the alphabet?

Why can the first letter of your surname lead you to success?  If your surname is Allen or Benson, then from the day you start school, you'll have to be ready to answer first. You learn to pay attention and you expect to take the lead.

A feature of memory called the primacy effect means that in that any list, we're most likely to remember the first few items. Whether it is a list of job applicants or political candidates, the Wilsons and Thompsons aren't going to be on the front page, so we might not even notice, let alone remember them.

Posted in: Lifestyle