presently after he steps off the caravan at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry , Harry Potter take part in a magical rite of passage : the classify ceremonial . The Sorting Hat matches students to one of the school day ’s four star sign based on certain feature — Gryffindors are brave , Ravenclaws are saucy , Hufflepuffs are nice , and Slytherins are clever . Fans of Harry Potter can take the assort quiz online atPottermoreto read where they ’d bring down if they attend Hogwarts .
While the Sorting Hat accurately evaluates student establish on their personality , it turns out the quiz is almost as right in real life . Anew studyfinds that the great unwashed who take the quiz possess traits logical with the hallmark qualities of the house they sort into .
“ When Rowling develop the prescribed quiz , I was curious to learn what it really measure , if anything , ” writes Laura C. Crysel , an assistant prof of psychology at Stetson University ( and a Gryffindor ) .
To determine whether the quiz results gibe with participant ' personality , Crysel and her colleagues asked 236 hoi polloi who had hire the quiz what results they received and whether they were happy with them . Then participants then completed a series of tests , which evaluate the " liberal five " personality trait — openness , conscientiousness , extraversion , agreeableness , and neuroticism — and the " benighted triad"—narcissism , Machiavellianism , and psychopathy . citizenry also suffice questions to regulate how much they desired cognition and how much they wanted to conform to in with others .
They found that in most cases , the sorting hat was proper : people ’s house matched their personalities .
“ We did find some law of similarity between the sorting termination and the personality measures . For example , Hufflepuffs report higher amenity , Ravenclaws reported higher pauperization for cognition , and Slytherins account higher narcissism , Machiavellianism , and psychopathy , ” Crysel toldmental_floss .
What ’s more , the researchers found that only about one-half of the participants sorted into the sign that they desire . This means Pottermore ’s sorting is safe than chance . It also designate that citizenry ca n’t manipulate the quiz to get into their prefer mansion .
“ I think this suggests that the quiz may be telling people something real about who they are , if only a little bit , ” says Crysel .
Interestingly , Gryffindors did not score highly in extraversion and openness , which the researchers assume would correlate with their taste for courage . Crysel says that Gryffindors did n’t have a direct personality match because there is no measure for courageousness . And , more masses need to be in Gryffindor — Harry ’s sign of the zodiac — than really lay there ; she suspects those aspiring Gryffindors might be more extroverted than people who separate into the house .
While this might just seem a fun workout examining an online personality quiz , Crysel believes that the study bring out that hoi polloi might habituate fictitious quality as part example .
“ People may be using fancied group to describe and form their identity , ” she say . “ To a certain extent , our player may have been reporting the traits that would allow them to meet in with their perception of a fictional grouping . ”
Crysel tell it ’s important to think back that people rate themselves . “ Slytherin participants chose to range themselves high-pitched in these traits — we did not delegate that rating to them . Also , while some of these traits have negative connotations , they can be used for good , ” she say . “ More significantly , these are average conflict , so no one should look they will apply to everyone . Like Harry , I recall we are all entitle to choose our House , if we wish well to do so . ”
