- Hey, so everyone has a name.
I have one.
You have one.
Everyone has one.
And that's extraordinary
when you think about it,
because it's one of the
very few social things
that all human beings have in common.
So you might be a Kevin, a Felicia, bye,
a Muhammad, a Holly, and so on.
This name is part of your identity
and it helps separate you
from that teeming mass of humanity.
But how much does your name affect you?
Could it determine your future?
Well, it doesn't determine
your life exactly.
See, economists Steve
Levitt and Roland Fryer
studied decades worth of children's names
only to find that what
your parents name you
doesn't really impact
your economic future.
Congratulations, you're not
gonna be doomed to poverty
just 'cause your name
is Ernest or something.
But your name certainly
will affect your future.
See, a study called
"Are Emily and Greg More
Employable Than Lakisha and Jamal?"
unearthed at least one
disturbing trend about names.
And it's this.
Job applicants with equal qualifications
or even otherwise identical resumes
are about 50% more
likely to get a callback
if they have, get this,
a white-sounding name.
This indicates that,
despite numerous laws,
discrimination still
thrives in the workplace.
Your name doesn't just
tell people about you.
It tells people about your parents.
And it gives them a way to place you
in their vision of society.
And this isn't about whether
their vision is correct.
That's a prejudice.
But it does affect how people
with these expectations and mindsets
will address and interact with you.
And that's not all.
Your name may also play
a role in your career.
This theory is weird.
It's called nominative determinism.
The idea that your name may affect
the way you interact with the world,
including anything from donations
to your choice of career.
So, for example, is
someone named Helen Painter
more likely to be an artist?
Or someone named Jimmy Hog
more likely to work with pigs?
Matthew Mirenberg and John Jones think so.
In their study, see if
I can get this right,
"Why Susie Sell Seashells by the Seashore:
Implicit Egotism and
Major Life Decisions."
It's long, but that's the title.
These researchers found that
people are more likely to choose careers
whose labels resemble their own names.
So, to use one of their examples,
people named Dennis or Denise
are overrepresented among, can you guess?
Spot on, dentists.
Mirenberg and Jones believe this happens
because people prefer things that
they connect with themselves,
including their names.
Other scientists, like
University of Pennsylvania's
Uri Simonsohn, are skeptical
about this whole idea.
You know, are we drawing
tenuous conclusions
where none exist just to
support a neat thought?
Now, we haven't even talked
about name changes yet.
Or the weird name changes
people have tried in court.
And, yes, I'm looking at you,
Roman CEO Sir Tasty Max Billion.
And we also haven't talked about
the multi-generational popularity cycle
that names experience.
Or, as I like to call it,
the rise and fall of Britneys and Ashleys.
But let me know what you think.
What do you think your
name says about you?
Guys, I hope you dig this video.
If so, make it official.
Toss me a like somewhere at the bottom.
Let your friends know there
might be more to their names
than they suspect.
And be sure to subscribe so you don't miss
a moment of Brain Stuff.
Oh, yeah, and my name's okay.
But, if I have to trade it for something,
I would go with Max Powers:
Astronaut with a Secret.
The whole thing, though.
The whole thing.
Like Max Powers colon
Astronaut with a Secret.
