Do you find yourself much more suave after watching a James Bond film? Researchers from Ohio State University examined what happened to people’s personalities and decisions after reading a fictional story, and found that individuals tended to take after the characters they resonate with.
In fact, people would change their own emotions, behavior and thoughts to match characters in stories they read, according to the research. But it doesn’t happen in every instance.
"You have to be able to take yourself out of the picture, and really lose yourself in the book in order to have this authentic experience of taking on a character’s identity,” says Geoff Kaufman, the lead researcher on the study.
So, does reading Harry Potter make you want to buy a wand? What characteristics of your favorite heroes, heroines, villains or villainesses do you find yourself emulating?
Geoff Kaufman, postdoctoral researcher, Tiltfactor Laboratory at Dartmouth College