Accio, Potterheads, I have some good news for you! Apparently, the studies show that being a Potter franchise fan makes you a better person. Of course, we never doubted your awesomeness, but it's nice to have some scientific confirmation. So, what is it exactly about the book series that makes you a more compassionate and likable individual?
The Boy Who Lived made us more tolerant
If you grew up reading the Harry Potter books, you will agree that peeking into the Wizards' World through the eyes of the protagonist was an intriguing journey. This fact inspired a group of scientists to conduct an experiment involving elementary school children as well as high-school students from the United Kingdom and Italy. The results of the study were published in the Journal of Applied Psychology and did, in fact, show that disregarding off their age, readers of the best-selling franchise show to be more tolerant towards a variety of groups. Researchers say that the way Harry himself acted in a variety of social scenarios and interactions played a huge role in the way readers formed their perception of good and bad.
We know that the story follows the main character through the years of adolescence, which is a hard enough period for anyone, even if you are not facing giant snake monsters and a pure evil nemesis. Harry is accompanied by his two friends, who represent two major social categories - Hermione comes from a non-magic family, and Ron's relatives hardly make ends meet. The class equality of the books' moral also goes hand in hand with racial equality and on some levels with acceptance of all genders and sexual orientations. The latter being confirmed by the author herself, as she revealed that one of the central figures in the books - Albus Dumbledore was a part of the LGBTQ community. It is not particularly the mention of various social and cultural groups, but the way the main characters interact with each other and with people around them. Showing compassion towards people around you should come directly from your heart and this means going from a place of acceptance and companionship.
Why hating Voldemort was actually healthy
On top of learning to love one another, without seeing color or social status, the book series also showed what is not OK at all. The antagonist of the series, the straight-up pure evil Voldemort, was a concentrated representation of what is wrong with the world. Voldie got to be racist, narcissistic, discriminatory, and, let's admit it, simply a jerk. So, according to the study, it is the fact that the readers are willingly dis-identifying themselves with such character that makes them good. Because by properly recognizing what is not right about the type of behavior the dark wizard is adopting, we learn to avoid following in his steps as well as correctly address the bullies in real life.
Last but not least, one of the main themes of the book is the battle against the narrow-minded bigoted people, such as Harry's aunt and uncle. By expanding the idea of the magical world within the boundaries of the world that we thought was the one and only, we can draw to a conclusion that anything is possible and you can never be absolutely right. Which in turn inspires you to learn more about different cultures, people, and places. Luckily, this is easily done through reading, and the fact that you powered through a seven-book series most likely means that you are not afraid of printed wisdom.
