ABSTRACT
When asked to explain why we like the things we like, most of us would probably be tempted to point to specific features of items that are dear to us. In the process, we might ignore that many of our preferences are shaped by a variety of processes that operate outside conscious awareness. Chief among those is our proclivity to like things that are superficially associated with an aspect of ourselves. Such implicit egotism manifests itself in a number of ways. For example, we often like things for no other reason than their connection to letters in our names (Pelham, Mirenberg, & Jones, 2002). In support of this idea, people tend to live in cities that resemble their names. There are a disproportionate number of Jacks in Jacksonville, Phils, in Philadelphia, Virginias in Virginia Beach, and Mildreds in Milwaukee. Dentists in the United States are more likely to be named Dennis, Denise, and Dena. Likewise, hardware store owners are especially likely to be named Harold or Harris, and roofers are especially likely to have names like Rashid, Roy, or Ray.
