Who knew that what you look like can make it harder or easier for people to remember your name? Researchers have found that some names fit our preconceived notions of what a person's face should look like, making their name easier to remember!
If your face fits the stereotype, people you meet will have an easier time remembering your name, said study leader Robin Thomas, a psychologist at Miami University in Ohio.
- Bobs have larger, rounder faces.
- Tims have more angular faces with thinner chins.
- Joshes have longer chins.
- Joes fall in the middle. "The 'average Joe' really was average," Thomas said.
The study involved 450 subjects, most of whom were Miami University students. Using computer graphics that allowed them to choose from 1,000 eyes and eyebrows, 800 noses and 300 face shapes, the subjects created what they felt were typical faces to go with a select list of common and popular names. The created faces were reviewed by a second group to develop a composite face for each name. A third group was asked to match names to faces where it was discovered that it was easier to remember a name when the person's face most resembled the composite. Interestingly, some common names like John, Dan and Matt didn't evoke a strong enough response to be conclusive. It makes you wonder what makes us so strongly associate certain characteristics with some names but not others. Sounds like a good subject for another study!
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