Babies' names can determine their success later in life

Melbourne, September 4 (ANI): Parents should be very careful while choosing names for their babies because some odd and unusual names can be quite detrimental to a child, flowing through to their adult lives, says experts.

Clinical psychologist Sally-Anne McCormack says that a child with an offbeat name, such as a boy named Sue, may be continuously teased in school; which in turn damages their self-image and can then have lasting psychological effects.

By contrast, "William" named after a past and future king of England, may be empowered by his name being linked to royalty, and others might subconsciously respond to him with a certain level of respect.

"In the first instance, a name and the way you present yourself gives the initial image we give to people. After that, once people get to know someone, they will make up their own minds," News.com.au quoted McCormack as saying.

"But first impressions do seem to count: In a recent study of online dating, there were some individuals who were neglected by dating suitors because of the negative perception of their name. A name can have a big impact.

"A name is a hurdle you have to get past to know the person. If the hurdle's too high, you are more likely to not bother with trying," she stated.

Dr Simon Laham of the University of Melbourne's Psychological Sciences Academic Centre says, "names carry a lot of information."

In a recent study in which he collaborated with researchers from New York University's Stern School of Business, he found that people with easy to pronounce names were more likable and more successful than those with hard to pronounce names.

"It's due to a phenomenon known as processing fluency. If a name is easy to pronounce (such as Ben and Kate), it is judged as being more familiar, and more positive," Dr Laham said.

A safe, easier to pronounce name may in fact prompt a child to excel in life, according to Dr Laham's study with Dr Adam Alter from New York University. (ANI)