Implicit Egotism in Japan : Preference for First and Family Name Initials

Abstract

A recent study suggested that the name letter effect is a product of unconscious selfregulation, which people under threat use to enhance their self-esteem. This study demonstrated the name letter effect in Japanese participants using the English alphabet, and examined if preference for their name letter changes in response to threat. We manipulated the strength of self-threat by assigning the participants to a difficult or easy quiz. As a result, we successfully demonstrated the name letter effect. The strength of the first and family name letter preferences differed according to the participants' gender. Implicit egotism is partially observed among male participants, thus they boosted their name letter preference after being exposed to a selfthreatening task.