Hurricanes with traditionally female names are more deadly than their male counterparts, according to a new study conducted by University of Illinois researchers.
The study, released Monday, found that hurricanes with a more "feminine" name kill more people than hurricanes with masculine names, USA Today reported. For example, a male-named hurricane would be responsible for 15 deaths, while a female-named hurricane of the same strength would kill 42 people.
"People may be dying as a result of the femininity of a hurricane (name)," Sharon Shavitt, a marketing professor who co-authored the study, said according to USA Today.
The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Shavitt and her colleagues studied the names of 94 hurricanes that hit the U.S. between 1950 and 2012 and cross examined them with the death tolls. The names were rated on how masculine or feminine they were. The researchers also accounted for the fact that hurricanes were only given female names up until the late '70s.
Researchers said because people think hurricanes act the same way men and women do, they tend to think "female" hurricanes are less dangerous.
"In judging the intensity of a storm, people appear to be applying their beliefs about how men and women behave," Shavitt said according to USA Today. "This makes a female-named hurricane, especially one with a very feminine name such as Belle or Cindy, seem gentler and less violent."
The researchers also asked university students to visualize being in the middle of a hurricane and determine which one they thought would be less dangerous. Hurricane names included Alexandra, Christina and Victoria as well as Alexander, Christopher and Victor, USA Today reported.
Results showed that students thought hurricane Christina and the other "female" ones would inflict the less damage.
"This pattern may emerge because individuals systematically underestimate their vulnerability to hurricanes with more feminine names, avoiding or delaying protective measures," Shavitt said according to USA Today.
Experts hope the study will lead to improved weather warnings.
"We can use this knowledge to improve forecast and warning communication and reduce loss of life when a hurricane threatens," Rebecca Morrs, a scientist from the National Center for Atmospheric Research, told USA Today.