![]() ![]() OK, so you can predict some interesting things about people from their names, but what about their faces? Can you tell, for example, who would be handy in a fight? Then again, this only makes it all the more remarkable that a correlation with political leanings shines through regardless. As the authors of this study point out, there are many other factors that have a much bigger influence on naming decisions, particularly ethnic, religious and family traditions. For example, did Kurt Cobain have Republican parents (his father did force him to join the wrestling team)? Did Katy Perry (her parents were preachers)? Is a William who – like Oasis singer Liam Gallagher – chooses to be a Liam (a Democrat name) rather than a Will or a Bill (both Republican names) making a statement (and, if so, is Bill Clinton the exception)? Once you know this, it’s fun to speculate about all kinds of celebrities. (Sounds that are not mentioned here turn up roughly equally often in boys’ and girls’ names, and so are not predictive of parental politics.) We can only speculate as to why Democrats are more likely to choose feminine-sounding names than Republicans and vice versa, though of course all those usual stereotypes about tough conservatives and soft liberals come quickly to mind. The “Democrat” sounds L, AYE, S and TH are more common in girls’ than boys’ names. ![]() Interestingly, the “Republican” sounds F, OH, K and W are more common in boys’ than girls’ names (the authors of the study got hold of a list of all the common names in the United States and counted up instances of the sounds in each). Fran k, J oseph, Kate, Kurt and William), while Democrat parents are more likely to choose names that contain the sounds L, AYE, S and TH (e.g. Here lies the clue: Republicans and Democrats like different sounds.Ī 2013 study found that Republican parents are more likely to choose names that contain the sounds F, OH, K and W (e.g. But this doesn’t work very well, as most parents don’t name their kids after other people (and certainly not after politicians) but just go for names that they like the sound of. You might imagine that parents name their children after particular Democrat or Republican heroes or celebrities, and try to think up examples of each among the names listed. Names more commonly given by Republican parents: Frank, Joseph, Kate, Kurt, William. Names more commonly given by Democrat parents: Liam, Ryan, Sam, Thea. (For non-US readers, the Democrats are the more left-leaning party while the Republicans are the more right-leaning party.) Guess whether the people who chose these names for their children are Republicans or Democrats. Try these three questions to test your own knowledge. ![]() Can you guess someone’s political party based on their name? Can you guess how well someone fights just by looking at his face? In my book, Psy-Q, I explore these and other questions through quizzes, puzzles and experiments that are designed to improve your understanding of both your own psychology and psychology in general. ![]()
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