Hearing your name has a profound impact on the brain. Research published in Cerebral Cortex shows that hearing your name activates your cortico-subcortical auditory attention network, a complex way of saying it grabs your focus whether you’re paying attention or not. Similarly, studies in Brain Research demonstrate that hearing your name sparks brain regions tied to your identity and personality, making interactions feel more engaging. Other research, like a study in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, highlights that hearing your name improves perception, attention, and memory.
Strategically using someone’s name can make them feel recognized, valued, and appreciated, whether in conversation or acknowledgment. Incorporating a person’s name into a compliment or thank you strengthens the connection. For example, saying, “Thanks for refilling my iced tea, Megan,” to your waitress or “I appreciate the quick turnaround, Lorna,” to your editor may seem small, but these gestures have a significant impact. As Dale Carnegie so famously said in his book How to Win Friends and Influence People:
A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
Research confirms that people respond positively to the sound of their own name, as it engages areas of the brain tied to attention and identity.
Andrew Carnegie, one of the most influential industrialists of the 19th century, understood the power of names long before science validated it. Renowned for leading the rapid expansion of the American steel industry, Carnegie combined technical innovation with psychological insight to achieve remarkable success.
Carnegie began his career as a telegraph operator with the Pennsylvania Railroad. Rising quickly through the ranks, he mastered management and cost control practices. Though the railroad industry at the time was rife with corruption and insider dealings, Carnegie wisely invested his earnings, slowly building capital.
While traveling in Europe, he observed the potential of blast furnace technology in steelmaking and recognized that steel would eventually replace wood as the primary material for construction. Returning to the U.S., he built a state-of-the-art steel plant, but he also understood that the plant needed a flagship customer to gain traction. Applying his understanding of human behavior, Carnegie named his plant the Edgar Thompson Works after the president of his former employer, the Pennsylvania Railroad.
This thoughtful gesture secured Carnegie his first major order—2,000 steel rails. By associating the plant with Edgar Thompson’s name, Carnegie made the interaction personal and memorable. Today, neuroscience explains the success of his strategy: hearing one’s name engages the brain’s attention and identity networks, making experiences more meaningful and impactful.
Carnegie’s approach demonstrates how understanding human behavior can drive success. Beyond leveraging psychology, he relied on expert teams to improve operations, helping to revolutionize the steel industry. However, his recognition of the importance of identity and his strategic use of names were pivotal in establishing his early dominance.
Carnegie’s story illustrates how understanding human behavior can drive success. He didn’t stop there; he used his ability to recognize talent and delegate to experts to revolutionize the steel industry. However, it was his appreciation for the power of identity—symbolized by the strategic use of a name—that set the stage for his meteoric rise.
In both personal and professional contexts, using a name is more than just a small courtesy—it’s a tool that can build deeper connections and inspire loyalty. Whether thanking a waitress or naming a steel plant, as Carnegie did, the principle remains the same: when people hear their name, they feel valued. And when people feel valued, extraordinary things can happen.
What can you learn from Andrew Carnegie’s example?
