Harry Potter is undoubtedly one of the most successful franchises of the past century and the series grows stronger day by day because even though the last book came out in 2007, the series has a loyal fan base that keeps the series going. The seven books of the series have contributed immensely to the world of literature and are critically acclaimed. For many of us, Harry Potter books were the reason we started reading books. They made us fall in love with reading and showed us the effect good books can have on our lives.
Harry Potter books are more than just books about a magical school or a simple good vs evil story. These books teach us about life in general and help in coping with the dark times in our lives. If you are going through depression or any distress in life then reading Harry Potter is a great way to let the light enter your lives. The people who were born in the 90s are often called the Potter generation because these people experienced the huge phenomenon of Harry Potter in its prime and grew up along with the series.
It may sound weird but according to some scientific studies it has been proved that reading the Harry Potter series actually makes you a better person. So the research suggests that the series about the boy wizard actually has some psychological health benefits on its readers. The series helps the readers achieve higher levels of tolerance and also helps them become less judgemental and prejudiced towards the world. In the world that we all live in today these qualities are precious in every human being.
The study volunteers were then given an assessment that measured aspects of their personalities, including traits like agreeableness, a need for cognition and narcissism. So Potterheads are much more equipped with qualities that are needed for us to survive in a world of diversity.
The characters from the series teach us different aspects of life and their personalities offer us insight into the diversity of the real world. There are privileged as well as underprivileged characters in the series and reading about them increases our empathy towards the different groups of people in the world. The researchers say that it might say more about how a good story changes the way you think:
“I think it points to one of the more interesting ideas in fighting determination…which is that the most effective way to do it is not through rational thinking and conscious effort but through narrative and storytelling. When stories allow us to empathize with people who lead very different lives or come from very different backgrounds, it allows us to get into their shoes in a way that no amount of preaching can accomplish.”
Also, we know that reading, in general, makes us more equipped to face the real world and widens our horizons so it is obvious that a series like Potter can change a person entirely and can make you much more open-minded and much less prejudiced which are basic qualities one must possess in order to enter the real world. So if you haven’t read Harry Potter in your life then here is a great reason to read the series and if you have already then this is just another reason to re-read the magical series!
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