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This is an archive article published on January 20, 2011

Are you first forever?

Not luck,astrological sign or even prayers are responsible. Check out your name.

Are you always the first to grab a bargain or a concert ticket?

If you think that it8217;s down to luck or knowing the system,think again,for a new study says it could depend on your surname.

Researchers have carried out the study and found that people whose last names begin with letters lower down the alphabet are the quickest to react to limited offers of goods or tickets.

According to them,this may stem from the school register being in alphabetical order,forcing children with surnames from the end of the alphabet to wait to be called.

And,to get over the psychological barrier,they overcompensate by being the quickest to respond when something is highly sought after,says the study by marketing professors Kurt Carlson and Jacqueline Conard.

The theory is part of a growing belief in nominal determinism 8212; where behaviour can be subconsciously affected by your name,the 8216;Daily Express8217; reported.

For the study,the researchers carried out a survey to find out why some people were willing to queue all night for an iPad or a newly released book.

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They said: 8220;The tendency to act quickly to acquire items is related to the first letter of one8217;s childhood surname. Children late in the alphabet will move quickly when last name isn8217;t a factor.

8220;Those with last names early in the alphabet will be so accustomed to being first that opportunities to make a purchase won8217;t matter much.8221;

The findings have been published in the 8216;Journal of Consumer Research8217;.

However,don8217;t give up on your astrological sign,either!

 

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