Is there a connection between a person's name and his destiny? Parapsychologists claim that all names have a certain energy. But only recently this theory has received scientific evidence.
Name and appearance
A group of psychologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that the name is associated with a person's appearance. So, in appearance, it turns out, you can guess the name - at least when it comes to your compatriot. Certain cultural stereotypes play a role here. The phenomenon was called by scientists "the Dorian Gray effect", and the results of the study were published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
The researchers carried out a number of experiments. The first one was attended by 70 Israelis. They were asked to look through 25 color photographs of strangers and decide which of the four suggested names would suit each of them best. In 30% of cases, the volunteers correctly guessed the stranger's name - this is significantly more than it should be according to the theory of probability. Also, a similar experience was carried out with a team of 115 Frenchmen. There, the percentage of guessing was even higher - 40%.
It was also found that the frequency of guessing was influenced by the person's hairstyle in the picture. All photographs were divided into three categories. On some, hair, ears and neck were clearly visible, and facial features looked blurred. In others, the eyes, cheeks, nose and mouth could be clearly seen, but the hair and neck were not visible. And finally, on the third, both the face and the hairstyle were clearly visible. It was the images of this category that accounted for the largest number of correct answers - on average 36%. Where the hair was more visible than the face, the number of correct answers was 33%. Where only faces were visible - 30%. That is, in order to guess the name with a higher probability, the subject should have as much information as possible about the person's appearance.
True, certain limitations were identified. If the volunteers were offered pictures and names of people of a different nationality, the number of correct answers decreased.
In addition, scientists have developed a special computer algorithm that "taught" to identify the correspondence between people's faces and their names. At the same time, training took place on a base of 94 thousand individuals. As a result, the number of guesses was 64% with a probability threshold of 50%. It turned out that the computer gave the same names to people with similar facial expressions.
Promotional video:
According to lead author of the study, Yonat Zwebner, there are certain stereotypes in our minds about names. Therefore, we unconsciously build communication with others in accordance with these stereotypes, which affects the bearers of the names themselves. Zwebner believes that people develop a certain image depending on the name. But there are times when they feel uncomfortable with this name, because it does not correspond to their inner state, it is difficult for them to adapt to this image. And then the person changes his name. So, a girl who does not have special ambitions may feel uncomfortable with the pretentious name Christina, and start calling herself, say, Katya. But in show business, it is not uncommon for Maria or Elena to take a pseudonym and become Marianne or Elena.
Lucifer complex
How do unusual, non-standard names affect people? Sometimes parents give their children names "with meaning" that do not fit into any cultural stereotype at all. So, on June 26, 2002, a boy was born in Russia, named BOC rVF 260602 ("Biological object is a man of the Voronin-Frolov family" plus date of birth). True, the registry office flatly refused to register the child under this name. Until the age of 14, he lived without a birth certificate, and then received a passport with the name Igor. He called himself that.
A few years ago, a family named the child Lucifer. Actually this name means "Lightbringer", but in Christian culture it is the name of the angel of darkness. Since 1998 such names as Dolphin, Luka-Happiness Summerset Ocean, Buddha-Alexander, April, Zarya-Zaryanitsa, Okeana, Sofia-Solnyshko, Alisa-Nefertiti have been registered in Moscow … Children live in Sweden under the names Metallica, Lego and Google … In the USA - Messiah, Instagram, Meningitis, Batman …
In most cases, a child is still not called a super-exotic name in everyday life. As a rule, they come up with some kind of home or diminutive name that sounds more correct. Moreover, a dubious or dissonant name can become a subject for ridicule.
But sometimes unusual names help people in life. So, a rare name, a student of a medical college, Brilliant Bazuev, helped several times in the preparation of various documents. The officials of the passport office and the tax office simply melted at the sight of the name Brilliant …
The names "right" and "wrong"
The well-known Russian expert in the field of names Boris Khigir believes that the name really affects the human psyche and, in the long term, its fate, therefore it is necessary to give children the “correct” names.
Which ones are considered “wrong”? Well, for example, in Russia these are double names like Anna-Maria: children with such names grow up psychologically unstable. Foreign names should be avoided - they do not correspond to the stereotypes of our culture. Men with the names Sergei and Anatoly are often addicted to drinking and drugs. Alexandra start smoking early and are prone to theft.
The female names Tatiana, Yana and Yulia are essentially male names, says Higir. These women often have increased levels of aggression.
I think you've really noticed more than once that people with the same name look and behave alike. Therefore, if you want your child to have certain qualities, then you need to come up with an appropriate name for him. And if you don't like your own qualities, then you should think about changing your name. Sometimes it's enough just to find a new derivative of your full name to change your destiny.