Shakespeare said “What’s in a name?”  Perhaps the key to happiness. A psychologist has determined the happiest people are likely to be named Judy or Joshua.  Congratulations!  On the flip side the most miserable are Lynn and Ben.  Bummer.

Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images
Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images
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Dr. David Holmes of Britain's Manchester Metropolitan University claims people's personalities change to fit the name their parents gave them.  (How did that work for former U.N. Secretary General Butros Butros-Ghali ?)

Other names in the happy camp include Stephanie, Linda, Pam, Pat, Matthew, Jason, Terry and Barry. The unhappiest would be Charlotte, Tina, Amy or Tara, Andrew, Edward, Tim or Owen.

Dr. Holmes insists that our names are similar to brand names in that people associate certain characteristics with them and compare them to famous people who have the same name. (King David?  David Eisenhower??  David Letterman???  Davey Crockett????)

When People start to react to a name, an individual's personality can actually be shaped to fit his or her name and the assumptions others make about that name.

Best of good luck Benedict Arnold of Cowiche! (Kidding)

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