It’s all in the surname

Why do some people wait patiently to buy stuff while others rush to grab it? The answer lies in your surname, according to a new study.

Why do some people wait patiently to buy stuff while others rush to grab it? The answer lies in your surname, according to a new study.

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It found that the first letter of our last names determines how quickly we act on consumer opportunities.

While looking at how quickly adults responded to opportunities to acquire ‘items of value’, researchers found that individuals were faster or slower to respond depending on where their last names fell in the alphabet.

Those with surnames that started with letters at the beginning of the alphabet were slower, while those whose surnames started with letters later in the alphabet were faster.

So why do the Abbotts wait, while the Zimmermans rush to buy? Researchers believe that it is because children with surnames near the end of the alphabet have spent their lives at the end of lines and back of classrooms.