A study done at University of California at San Diego in 1998 found that there is a correlation between a person’s initials and how long they live. The researchers looked at 27 years of death certificates in the state of California and found that people with “unfortunate” initials lived shorter lives. Those 27 years of deaths included approximately 5 million people who died in the state between 1969 and 1997, and focused primarily on men, as men usually don’t change their initials upon getting married.
Initials considered to be unfortunate were those like “RAT”, “PIG”, “ILL”, and “BUM”, and more desirable initials included “JOY”, “WOW”, and “GOD”. The results showed that men with positive initials lived, on average, 4.48 years longer than the control group, while men with initials of a negative connotation lived 2.8 years less than those in the control group. When looking at the suicide rates, six suicides were noted amongst 1,200 men which “positive” initials, which works out to 0.5%, while the rate increased to 3.5% amongst “negative” initials.
It is uncertain whether or not the results are simply a coincidence, or if there is, in fact, a direct correlation between initials and lifespan. Some researchers on the project rooted their belief in the relationship between the two on the psychological impact having initials like “RAT” and “BUM” can have, such as low self-esteem and bullying. They say that the results speak for themselves.