Can reading Harry Potter make you kinder?

The greatest magic of Harry Potter: Reducing prejudice

Kids who read and discussed the Harry Potter books showed more positive attitudes towards stigmatised groups.

Vezzali, L., Stathi, S., Giovannini, D., Capozza, D., & Trifiletti, E. · Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 2015

Researchers ran studies with schoolkids and university students to see whether reading Harry Potter, a series full of characters being judged for being “Muggle-born”, changed how readers felt about real-world outgroups like immigrants and refugees.

Readers who identified with Harry and talked through the prejudice passages came out with improved attitudes. Hermione would like everyone to know she has been saying this for years.

the verdict

Reading fantasy books: officially a kindness spell.