You are What you Read

In last week's Field Trip Friday blog post over at YA Highway, there was a link to a study which revealed, you are what you read. Here's a quote from the article:


"Readers who identify with fictional characters are prone to subconsciously adopt their behaviour, new data shows."


On Monday of last week, I shared 10 random facts about myself. One of those random facts was this:


"I didn't realize it at first, but looking back, I seem to have learned more about how to deal with tough situations in my life from characters in books than I have from anywhere else."


It's so weird how sometimes, certain topics in the news, on the blogs I read, or anywhere I might happen to look, really seem to correlate with exactly what I'm thinking about at the moment. I'm sure it's really more about me noticing those topics more than usual since they're on my mind, but still. It's weird.

Kahlan Amnell (Sword of Truth)

So this article got me thinking about the books I choose to read. And the way my personality has developed over my lifetime. And how we're all so different, even from the people who are the closest to us. I'll spare you the details, but this article really  made me think about myself from a whole new perspective. And even though I knew that books have influenced my life and the person I am, I never really thought of that in the way the research presents it - that I basically experienced the emotions and feelings of fictional characters as if they were my own.


Now I'm thinking, I should probably diversify my reading a bit before the only place I'll ever fit in is a medieval, alternate reality where I'll use my rare magic abilities to embark upon an epic journey to save the last living dragons from enslavement by a mad king who wants to use them to rule the world. Or something like that. I also don't know if I want to start reading anything told from the perspective of an unlikable narrator. I sure wouldn't want to find that I relate to him or her on some level and then start adopting their behavior.


I probably also need to re-think my obsession with Dexter. Just in case this research extends to TV too.


So, what about you? Do you think that the books you've read have affected your behavior? Has it gone further than that and affected your morals (I can certainly see where certain fantasy series have affected the way I see right and wrong and my own personal idea of honor)?