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Harry Potter fans make nicer humans

According to science. - by Rebecca Lowrey Boyd
  • 21 Feb 2020

Say what you will about muggles, but Harry Potter fans are officially very nice people.

Recent research has revealed that readers of Harry Potter are more open-minded and tend to be less prejudiced.

WATCH: Harry Potter star Matthew Lewis makes jaws drop with topless scene

The paper, The greatest magic of Harry Potter: Reducing prejudice, examined whether extended contact through reading the Harry Potter books "improves attitudes toward stigmatized groups (immigrants, homosexuals, refugees)".

The research showed that readers identified with the character of Harry Potter and “disidentification” from the Voldemort and the Death Eaters “moderated the effect” of prejudice.

JK Rowling

JK Rowling surrounded by fans

J.K. Rowling herself wrote on her website:

"The expressions ‘pure-blood’, ‘half-blood’ and ‘muggle-born’ have been coined by people to whom these distinctions matter and express their originators’ prejudices.

As far as somebody like Lucius Malfoy is concerned, for instance, a muggle-born [wizard] is as bad as a muggle. Therefore Harry would be considered only half-wizard because of his mother’s grandparents.

If you think this is far-fetched, look at some of the real charts the Nazis used to show what constituted ‘Aryan’ or ‘Jewish’ blood.

I saw one in the Holocaust Museum in Washington when I had already devised the ‘pure-blood’, ‘half-blood’ and ‘muggle-born’ definitions and was chilled to see that the Nazis used precisely the same warped logic as the Death Eaters.

A single Jewish grandparent ‘polluted’ the blood, according to their propaganda.”

Is it any surprise, then, that another study found that Harry Potter fans had a lower opinion of Donald Trump? You decide.

You might also like:

Your Harry Potter books could be worth thousands

The ultimate Harry Potter cook book is here

These 4 Harry Potter-themed rooms by interior designers are amazing

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Rebecca Lowrey Boyd
Rebecca is the Digital Managing Editor of Better Homes and Gardens.

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