Reading a good book immerses you in a character's world—and may change your views, according to a recent study at Ohio State University. Psychologists Geoff Kaufman and Lisa Libby assigned 78 heterosexual males to read one of three stories, two about a homosexual protagonist and one about a heterosexual protagonist. Afterward, the readers reported having no trouble identifying with the straight character, but their ability to relate to the gay protagonist varied based on when they discovered his orientation. Those who read a story in which the character was introduced as gay in the first paragraph did not connect to the character as strongly as those who learned of the character's orientation near the story's end. Most important, the latter group—the men who identified most with the gay protagonist—relied less on stereotypes to describe the character and reported more positive attitudes toward homosexuality in general. “Readers can emerge from a reading experience seeing the world, other people and themselves quite differently,” Kaufman says. The findings remind readers to think critically about their reactions to characters and to be aware of the power of prose.

3 Comments

1. 1. Bob Grumman 03:18 PM 10/5/12

   Well, I hope this profound study is repeated at least a hundred times to verify it. I myself have carried out a study using one reader and found that reading a story from a hit man's point of view makes it easier for me to murder people afterwards than reading a story from from the point of view of a detective trying to apprehend a hit man who murdered his brother.
   
   

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2. 2. LordDraqo 11:57 PM 10/5/12

   Whether we like it or not, if a reader allows themselves to become immersed in the fictional realm, they will find themselves developing a better understanding of the characters as presented. Of course this requires well-defined characters in the fiction.
   
   That said, our species has adapted throughout history to the process of learning through the presentation of stories. Who knows, perhaps tolerance and acceptance could be taught in schools if reading were a more positive focus than first-person shooter games.

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3. 3. Geopelia 06:49 AM 10/6/12

   My generation (born 1920-30) was brought up on war stories, historical battles, Robin Hood, Homer, "Roman stuff" etc. (Now my favourite fictional character is Sharpe.)
   We thought love stories were soppy, though a knight could do noble deeds for his lady.
   
   I doubt if small girls today would be given the sort of books our elders considered suitable for us.

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