Coaching Wizardry » Quirkology

On being an end of the alphabet person

Joanna — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 13:22:06 +0000

I got an intriguing e-mail yesterday, from Richard Wiseman with the results of the latest Quirkology survey. I first came across their stuff in relation to the pace of life, and then couldn’t resist taking part in their research into the impact of your surname on your experience of life. The conclusion – from the study of some 15,000 people – is that there is very small but also real effect, suggesting that those with surnames beginning with a letter towards the start of the alphabet were more satisfied with their lives compared to those with names beginning with a letter towards the end of the alphabet.

I’ve been an end of the alphabet person all my life, starting as a W then going backwards to Y. Could this explain my restless nature, moving houses, changing careers, searching constantly for meaning and answers??? Are my happy with their lot friends more likely to be start of the alphabet people?

Interesting idea isn’t it? They’ve also looked at the impact of initials on your life span. H.U.G. for example gives you several more years than B.U.M… Also makes me wonder about the meaning of the words – did the Quirkology professor get a head start by getting the name "Wiseman"?

Nonsense or not it’s fun to dip into. They’ve more tests running just now that you can take on the Quirkology site – from a lie detector to seeing how well you can anticipate the results of a penalty shoot out…

Meantime any thoughts on how your name – or position in the alphabet – has affected your outlook on life?

Slow down, you move too fast

Joanna — Wed, 02 May 2007 21:05:10 +0000

Do you feel like you’re rushing all the time? If so, you might not be imagining it. There’s a story in the papers today on the pace of life in the world’s cities. And it’s 10% faster in 2007 than it was in the early 1990s.

The study is based on the speed that pedestrians walk at – which they say is a good measure of the pace of life in a city. Going so much faster is not good news. They reckon that people in fast moving cities are less likely to help other people and have higher rates of coronary heart disease. The fastest moving city is Singapore – where they take 10.55 seconds to walk 60ft. New York comes in at number 8 – slower than Dublin would you believe. Edinburgh was reassuringly slow at 13.29 seconds. You can find out the pace of life in your city here.

If you think you might be going too fast you can take the Quirkology test (by the guys that did the pace of life project).

And if you want to slow down… well it might be old-fashioned but why not try a remedy from Simon and Garfunkel. The 59th Bridge Street Song’s been running through my head all day, ever since I read the story. Guaranteed to make you slow down and smile… feeling groovy.

Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feeling groovy
Ba da da da da da da, feeling groovy…

I got no deeds to do
No promises to keep
I’m dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morning time drop all its petals on me
Life I love you, all is groovy