Hey Bill. You write good newsletters!
The science of names and familiarity ... with a wild twist at the end.
Before we dive in today ... A reader and longtime supporter asked:
“Hey Bill. You write good newsletters! Have you ever considered creating newsletters and marketing emails for businesses?”
In fact, I have thought of doing that! In fact, I think I have a unique solution to make them super-useful, fun, and cost-effective.
If you're a reader who owns a business (or who runs a business, or markets a business, or maybe even wants to own a business), would you be willing to spend just a few short minutes letting me ask you questions, listen closely, and perfect the idea?
It would be a big help. Bottom line, I want to make sure anything I build like this is 100% tailored to the needs of customers like you.
Want to help? Just fill out the short form you’ll find here. I'll be back in touch shortly!
Names matter
Let’s try an experiment. I assume most people know my name since it’s included several times in this email already, but let's make sure. Then, I’ll ask you a question or two.
My name is Bill Murphy Jr. Most people call me “Bill,” although some people who knew me in college and maybe from a few other times in my life tend to call me “Murph.” I actually resisted using the “Jr.” for a long time but gave in when I started writing for a living.
O.K., now for the questions.
Do you think you feel any greater connection to me than you might have if you didn't know the name of the person who wrote this newsletter?
Is it possible you might feel a bit more empathy just knowing for sure that the person behind it is really a blood-and-guts, breathing, thinking human being, just like you are?
According to neuroscience, the answer to both questions might very well be yes.
‘How their brains were responding’
Writing in the journal NeuroImage, researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln said they showed volunteers images of people with neutral, resting expressions. Then, they showed the volunteers images of the same people wearing expressions that suggested they were in physical pain.
Then they did the same thing—only this time they told the volunteers the names (made-up, I’m assuming) of the people in the images.
Using electroencephalograms (EEGs) to map electrical impulses in the volunteers’ brains, they determined that neural responses shifted significantly when names were attached to the images.
“During the experiment, when we saw how their brains were responding to the named faces, we could predict almost 50 percent of participants’ empathy levels,” researcher John Kiat said, adding: “Information regarding identity is important, and names clearly shift the informational bases of empathic response.”
‘I’m John Gooda …’
There are quite a few other studies showing similar results.
A study last year suggested that patients who learn the names of physicians who treat them in a hospital emergency room wind up rating those doctors more highly than others.
Further, a study published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology found increased empathy as a result of having even a passing relationship with people, as opposed to strangers.
I started thinking about just how much of an empathy advantage you might gain simply by telling people your name after I did an article for Inc.com about a United Airlines email to customers last month.
In short, the reassuring message about United operations at Newark Liberty International Airport came from an airline vice president (as opposed to coming from the CEO), and he started the message by giving his name: “I’m Jon Gooda …”
I ruminated on his wording as I was doing other things—going to the gym, stopping at the supermarket, and preparing to go to court to fight a traffic ticket.
I kept noticing how often people introduce themselves, even if many of us don’t even notice, or even if we forget the names right away:
At the gym: “I’m Jordan! Let’s get this class started!”
At the market (nametag): “PETER (5 years of service)”
Going through the recording of the traffic stop: “I’m Officer Nolan. This is being recorded. Do you have any idea why I pulled you over today?”
It’s very human, and I suppose it does increase empathy.
Now for the wild turn
I mean, I’m still not exactly happy that I got a traffic ticket.
But even as I sat there that day waiting for Officer Nolan to check my information, I found myself trying to decipher what kind of person he might be, and whether there was any chance he’d let me off with a warning. (First ticket since October 2000, by the way!)
Of course, this whole names-and-empathy theory takes a wild turn when you realize that we’re all now interacting constantly with non-humans: computer personalities, chatbots, and AI.
Does it matter that Amazon suggests you should call your smart speaker by the human name, Alexa?
Does it matter that your iPhone asks if you’d like to enable “Siri?”
Does it matter that probably my most-used conversational AI interface introduces itself as “Claude?”
Maybe you can see we’re not going to answer all of those questions and deal with all the ramifications for empathy and humanization here today. They’re simply too big to tackle all at once.
Maybe you feel a bit more empathy for me, just knowing I’m trying to tackle it all, too.
Either way, remember: Start with your name.
It might soon be the only way we know who among us is truly human.
7 other things worth knowing today
I think people will like the last item today, if you haven’t seen it. But we have some more serious ones first …
Live Updates: Israel expanded its attacks on Iran on Monday, striking the headquarters of its state television broadcaster while anchors were live on air, as the fiercest and deadliest confrontation in the history of the Israeli-Iranian conflict continued into a fourth day. Israel appears to be acting with increasing confidence: telling residents to evacuate parts of Tehran; hinting in advance that it was about to attack the state television complex; and claiming “full aerial superiority.” (The New York Times)
President Trump on Monday doubled down on his goal to conduct mass deportations in some of the country's biggest cities, specifically those run by Democrats. As he met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the G7 summit in Alberta, Trump said ICE should turn its attention to New York and Chicago in addition to Los Angeles. "I want them to focus on the cities because the cities are where you really have what's called 'sanctuary cities,'" Trump told reporters. "And that's where the people are." (ABC News)
Lawmakers in Congress are rattled by the politically motivated series of shootings in Minnesota and want more protection for themselves. House Republicans held a conference call Saturday that included U.S. Capitol Police to discuss a perceived increase in threats. The mounting fear on Capitol Hill stems from the attacks Saturday that killed a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband and injured another lawmaker and his wife. (Washington Times)
A federal judge ruled Monday it was illegal for the Trump administration to cancel several hundred research grants deemed to focus on gender identity or diversity, equity and inclusion. After 40 years on the bench, “I've never seen government racial discrimination like this,” U.S. District Judge William Young added. He ended Monday's hearing saying, “Have we no shame.” His ruling is expected to be appealed. (AP)
The Louvre, the world's most-visited museum and a global symbol of art, beauty and endurance, was shuttered on Monday — not by war, not by terror, but by its own staff. The spontaneous strike erupted during a routine internal meeting, as gallery attendants, ticket agents and security personnel refused to take up their posts in protest over unmanageable crowds, chronic understaffing and what one union called "untenable" working conditions. (CBS News)
Construction is booming in Somalia's capital city and as Mogadishu literally rises from the ashes of its violent past it is also giving unexpected opportunities to women like Fathi Mohamed Abdi and Saadia Ahmed Omar. The two young female engineers have been overseeing the construction of a 10-floor apartment complex in Taleh in the city's Hodan District. "I think part of the reason women are getting more chances in this field is because there's so much work to do, and not enough professionals to do it. That creates space for us," Ms Omar says. (BBC)
Approximately 200 dads at St. Ann Catholic Parish in Coppell, Texas, unwittingly wore the same polo shirt to Father's Day Mass on Sunday as part of an elaborate prank. The "holy operation" was orchestrated by a group of moms who secretly coordinated the purchase and suggestion of the matching shirts. Despite realizing they had been tricked, the dads embraced the prank, with many posing together for a final photo in their identical outfits. (FOX 26 Houston, Instagram)
Thanks for reading. Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash. I wrote about some of this before at Inc.com. See you in the comments.
Well done. Fascinating topic. And by the way you write GREAT newsletters!
Interesting question about knowing who writes the newsletter. I was following someone on Medium only to discover they wrote two different newsletters using two different names. Certainly gave me pause and I've ended up not really following anymore.