Um nome mais comum ou um nome bem raro? Como essa escolha afeta a personalidade do seu filho ou filha?
Este texto é de nível avançado.
How our names shape us
Parents often agonize over what to call their children. And the choice they make could play a part in shaping how others see their child and therefore ultimately the kind of person their child becomes.
Of course, many factors sculpt our personalities: our genes, our experiences, the people we hang out with, the roles we take on in life. It's easy to forget the part played by our names – a highly personal influence imposed on us from birth and that usually stays with us through life.
At a basic level, our names can reveal details about our ethnicity or other aspects of our background. In terms of how names affect the ways we're treated by others, consider a German study, in which users of a dating site were asked whether they would like to follow up with potential dates on the basis of their names. The research found that people with names considered unfashionable at the time (such as Kevin) were more likely to be rejected, as compared with people with more trendy names (such as Alexander). It certainly is difficult to be a warm, trusting person if you face repeated rejection in life by virtue of your name. The daters with unfashionable names who were rejected more often also tended to be less polite and have lower self-esteem.
Some recent findings also show the potential benefits that your name might have. For instance if you have a more "sonorant" sounding name that flows easily such as Marla (as compared with an abrupt sounding name such as Eric or Kirk), then it's likely people will consider you more agreeable in nature, with all the advantages that might bring.
Moreover, while a less common name may be disadvantageous in the short-term, it could have advantages over the longer-term by giving you a greater sense of your personal uniqueness. Having an unusual name might even shape us to be more creative and open-minded.
If you're a prospective parent, you might be wondering whether to choose a common, popular name, perhaps enhancing your children's popularity and likeability in the process, or whether to give them an original name, helping them to feel special and act more creatively. Perhaps the trick is to find a way to have the best of both worlds by choosing a common name that is easily modified into something more distinctive.
Texto adaptado de artigo da BBC. Você pode ler o artigo original aqui.
Você também pode me ouvir lendo o texto no áudio abaixo!