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Zinho [soylentnews.org] writes:

A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS [pnas.org]) found that

Feminine-named hurricanes (vs. masculine-named hurricanes) cause significantly more deaths, apparently because they lead to lower perceived risk and consequently less preparedness. Using names such as Eloise or Charlie for referencing hurricanes has been thought by meteorologists to enhance the clarity and recall of storm information. We show that this practice also taps into well-developed and widely held gender stereotypes, with potentially deadly consequences. Implications are discussed for understanding and shaping human responses to natural hazard warnings. (Female hurricanes are deadlier than male hurricanes [pnas.org])

Some information beyond the abstract is available with commentary at the Washington Post [washingtonpost.com].

Personally, I agree with the blogger who suggested using villain names from fiction [nodwick.com] as hurricane names to convince people to take them seriously.

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Original Submission