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Monogrammic determinism?

Stilian Morrison¹, Gary Smith

¹Department of Economics, Pomona College, Claremont, California 91711, USA.

Psychosomatic Medicine

|October 6, 2005

Summary

Your name initials do not impact how long you live. A study found no significant link between positive or negative name initials and longevity, debunking previous claims.

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Area of Science:

Demography
Biostatistics
Social Epidemiology

Background:

A previous study suggested a link between positive name initials (e.g., ACE) and increased longevity.
The original study's methodology, grouping by year of death, could be misleading due to changing initial frequencies over time.

Purpose of the Study:

To re-evaluate the relationship between name initials and longevity.
To address methodological limitations of the original study by grouping decedents by birth year.

Main Methods:

Utilized the California Department of Health Services mortality database.
Identified birth year and age at death for decedents based on positive or negative initials.
Applied grouping by birth year to provide a more accurate analysis.

Main Results:

No substantial or statistically significant relationship was found between name initials and longevity.
This finding held true for both the original study period (1969-1995) and a longer period (1905-2003).

Conclusions:

Mortality is not demonstrably affected by an individual's initials.
The purported link between name initials and lifespan is not supported by this rigorous analysis.

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