Oh-oh, I'm a D

Quality Health shared this article. Link is on the post title.

First Letter of Your Name Linked to Longevity

By Laurie Saloman

It sounds like the kind of questionable "fact" that kids love to throw around at the lunchroom table: The first letter of your name can determine how long you live. Sounds far-fetched, right? But a group of scientists at Wayne State University have published an article claiming that your longevity is, in fact, linked to your name. And the very worst initial to have? The dreaded "D."

The researchers looked at the first letters of the names of more than 10,000 pro athletes such as hockey, baseball, basketball, and football players, and recorded how old they were when they died. Then they analyzed lawyers and various types of doctors to determine if the initial-longevity association held for that group. The result? In the athlete group, those whose first names began with A lived longer than those whose names began with B, and so on until D, which had the shortest life span. Those whose first names began with the letters E through Z lived longer than those whose names began with D. In the doctor-lawyer group, those whose names began with E through Z also lived longer than those whose names began with D, although the association was not significant in this case.

The theory is that "D" has such a negative connotation. We learn ABCs (not D) and if we get a D grade, that's bad. So maybe it amounts to self-esteem. Apparently there are also more law school students beginning with A or B. So, in my opinion that doesn't necessarily equate to smart, but perhaps self-confident.

Well, at least none of my kids start with D ~ and C is the dominant letter in my family of origin...