When it comes to dating, finding someone with similar interests to you can often be hugely important. Especially when those interests include magical worlds, fantastic creatures and beasts, and cruel deaths.

Game of Thrones fans and Harry Potter lovers are often pretty…intense…when it comes to their appreciation of the world-famous novels and franchises. It makes sense that they'd have a lot in common.

A study has taken place at the University of Oklahoma, where researchers analysed over 400 readers (male and female) and measured their exposure to various fiction genres, and the results are vital for your fantasy-fuelled love lives.

The attitudes of the participants towards gender roles and sexual behaviour were also studied, and we are loving this form of science. 

The readers were tested on their exposure to seven different genres- classics, contemporary literary fiction, romance, fantasy, science fiction, thriller, and horror. They were also asked for their views on a series of toxic beliefs about relationships.

These beliefs included quips such as: "disagreement is destructive", "mind-reading is expected", "romantic partners cannot change", "the sexes are different" and "the expectation of sexual perfection".

The respondents were told to explain to which degree they agreed or disagreed with the alternating statements. All in the name of love.

The study is called. 'What you read and what you believe: Genre exposure and beliefs about relationships' and was published in the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts journal.

The results found that people who had the most exposure to fantasy genres and sci-fi had the healthiest beliefs about how loving relationships should function.

We bet Dumbledore gave some decent wisdom about Tinder swiping.

Interestingly, readers who enjoyed fantasy and science fiction novels were "less likely to support the belief that disagreement is destructive". Fighting can be a healthy way to air grievances, even if it's with a wand or a sword…

 

 

 

 

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Fans of the fantasy genre were also less likely to hold "the belief that partners cannot change, the belief that sexes are different, and the belief that mind-reading is expected in relationships". 

Stephanie C. Stern led the research team at the University of Oklahoma, and wrote of their findings; "Individuals who scored higher for exposure to science fiction and fantasy were less likely to endorse four unrealistic relationship beliefs."

Even Jon Snow realised that having a fling with your aunt is a little too unorthodox for him, but Cersei and Jaime endorse the incest vibe.

Ron and Hermione bickered their way through the HP franchise, but made peace in the end with a big sloppy kiss after destroying a Horcrux. Seems like a good way to find love?

Feature image: HBO/YouTube