Could your shopping habits be influenced by something as seemingly innocuous as your surname? According to Kurt A. Carlson and Jacqueline M. Conard, authors of the Journal of Consumer Research article

the answer is a resounding yes.

According to the article released last month, the first letter of our childhood surname can determine our consumer behavior as an adult, particularly in regard to the speed with which we act on purchasing new items.

When the authors of the article studied how quickly adults responded to opportunities to acquire (purchase) items of value, they found that the later in the alphabet people's childhood surnames were, the faster those consumers responded to purchasing opportunities.

One theory for the effect holds that children with last names that fall late in the alphabet are often at the ends of lines or the backs of classes growing up in school, creating a feeling of being somehow behind and producing a kind of instinct to act on acquisition decisions quicker as they age.

"The idea holds that children develop time-dependent responses based on the treatment they receive," the authors write. "In an effort to account for these inequities, children late in the alphabet will move quickly when last name isn't a factor; they will 'buy early.' Likewise, those with last names early in the alphabet will be so accustomed to being first that individual opportunities to make a purchase won't matter very much; they will 'buy late.'"

You can view the press release highlighting the study by clicking on the following link:

What do you think of this study? Do the author's conclusions apply to your buying habits? Let me know in the comments or e-mail me at

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