Adam Alter is an NYU Assistant Professor of Marketing and the author of Today Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces that Shape How We Think, Feel and Behave. I came across Adam’s book a few months ago, and after reading the summary I knew I needed to pick up a copy. I contacted Adam and he was nice enough to send me the book, which I enjoyed. Anyone interested in human behavior should consider buying this book. It’s filled with psychological insights that will make you think twice about what makes us tick. Adam was nice enough to answer some questions. So, without further ado…
McNerney: Lance Armstrong is brawny, Francine Prose writes well and people whose names begin with the letter K gave more to Hurricane Katrina relief. Adam, what’s going on here???
Alter: There are two distinct effects here. The first—the tendency for people to trace destinies that mirror their names—is known as nominative determinism (literally, “determined by name”). There’s a great Wikipedia page devoted to aptronyms—names that match life outcomes—from German psychiatrist and anxiety expert Jules Angst, to lawyer Sue Yoo.
Despite these vivid anecdotes, nominative determinism has a rocky past. There’s some mixed evidence that people’s lifestyles resemble the meaning expressed in their names, but there’s other evidence that suggests the effect is weak or non-existent. Assuming some people are prodded to live lives that mimic their names, one possibility is that they develop a fondness for life paths that remind them of themselves. We’re an egotistical species, and since most of us like our names and what they represent (us!), we’re drawn to outcomes that match those names.
