New Harry Potter study links Gryffindor and Slytherin personalities to heightened entrepreneurship

New research utilizing a massive dataset derived from the Harry Potter fandom suggests that specific fictional personality profiles align with real-world entrepreneurial potential. The study indicates that individuals who identify with the traits of Gryffindor and Slytherin houses are more likely to exhibit entrepreneurial intentions and behaviors compared to others. These findings were published in the journal Small Business Economics.

Economists and psychologists have frequently associated starting a business with a certain level of non-conformity. An entrepreneur often needs to challenge existing conventions and break rules to create new value. This requires a psychological makeup that tolerates risk and embraces disruption.

The authors of the current study, led by Professor Martin Obschonka of the University of Amsterdam, aimed to understand how different character profiles contribute to this necessary rule-breaking behavior. They sought to distinguish between prosocial forms of deviance and more self-serving, strategic forms.

To capture these complex personality configurations, the researchers adopted a person-oriented approach rather than looking at isolated traits. They looked to the personality typology found in the Harry Potter saga as a framework for categorizing people. The fictional Hogwarts Houses provide a widely recognized model for grouping individuals based on bundles of traits like courage, ambition, loyalty, and wisdom. This allowed the team to test how holistic character descriptions relate to economic behavior.

The research team employed a two-part approach involving both regional and individual data to ensure robustness. For the first study, they utilized a massive dataset collected through a collaboration with TIME Magazine. This involved the “Harry Potter Quiz,” which assessed personality traits in nearly 800,000 participants across the United States. The survey included items measuring traits such as Machiavellianism, agreeableness, courage, honesty-humility, and conscientiousness.

Free daily newsletter

Based on their responses, an algorithm sorted participants into one of the four Hogwarts houses. This algorithm was developed with input from self-identified Harry Potter experts to ensure accurate character mapping. The researchers aggregated these responses to the level of Metropolitan Statistical Areas. They then calculated the density of startups in these regions using data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The analysis revealed a specific geographic pattern regarding business creation. Regions with a higher concentration of individuals matching the Gryffindor and Slytherin profiles tended to exhibit higher entrepreneurial activity. Specifically, areas with above-average shares of these two profiles showed approximately seven percent higher levels of startup density. This association remained significant even when controlling for economic variables like GDP and population density.

Gryffindor profiles are associated with traits like courage, bravery, and moral conviction. Slytherin profiles are linked to ambition, shrewdness, and strategic rule-bending. The data suggests that despite their differences, both profiles share a propensity for the kind of non-conformity required to start businesses. This supports the idea that entrepreneurial energy can stem from different psychological sources.

To verify these regional patterns at the individual level, the researchers conducted a second study. They recruited a representative sample of 820 residents from the United States via an online panel. Participants completed surveys in two waves to assess their personality traits and their views on entrepreneurship. The researchers aimed to avoid the ecological fallacy, where group-level data is incorrectly assumed to apply to individuals.

In this second phase, the researchers again categorized participants into the four Hogwarts houses based on their personality survey responses. They measured entrepreneurial intentions, attitudes toward starting a business, and perceived behavioral control. They also assessed entrepreneurial self-identity to see if participants viewed themselves as the “type” to start a company.

The individual-level data mirrored the regional findings from the first study. Participants categorized as Gryffindors or Slytherins reported stronger intentions to start a business compared to those sorted into Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. They also held more positive attitudes toward the idea of entrepreneurship. The results provide evidence that the “deviant” orientations of these two houses translate into a greater willingness to pursue business ventures.

Obschonka was surprised to find “that such a personality typology from fictional popular literature shows this consistent and robust statistical effect on real world entrepreneurship outcomes across the regional and individual level in our analyses.”

The researchers found no significant link between the Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw profiles and entrepreneurial intent. Hufflepuffs are characterized by loyalty, fairness, patience, and hard work. While these are positive traits, the authors suggest they may fit better within traditional employment structures rather than the disruptive nature of entrepreneurship. A focus on fair play and following rules may inhibit the risk-taking required to launch a new venture.

Similarly, while Ravenclaws are associated with intelligence, wit, and learning, intellect alone does not appear to drive the specific urge to launch a venture. The data implies that being smart or hardworking is not the same as having the deviant orientation needed to break norms. Entrepreneurship appears to require a specific type of character that is willing to challenge the established order.

“It was the ‘deviant’ houses (Gryffindor – norm-breaking from moral conviction; and Slytherin – norm-bending from strategic calculation) that are related to real-world entrepreneurship. Deviance is a key topic in entrepreneurship research – and such entrepreneurial deviance might have its ‘bright side’ (Gryffindor) but also ‘dark side’ (Slytherin).”

As with all research, there are limitations. The study relied on correlational data, meaning it cannot definitively prove that these personality types cause entrepreneurial behavior. “Such analyses are correlational and not necessarily causal. Personality can affect vocational choice and entrepreneurial behavior, but also the opposite effect could be at work (e.g., work might also shape a person’s personality to a degree).”

The new findings “add to our knowledge about real-world correlates of entrepreneurial mindsets and behaviors (a personality typology from fictional popular literature can indeed inform real-world entrepreneurship), but the effect size is rather small (probably also because entrepreneurship has many determinants and is a complex process). Finding such smaller effects for broad personality features is not uncommon in entrepreneurship research.”

Future research could explore if these fictional personality associations hold true in collectivist cultures where rule-breaking is viewed differently. The researchers also suggest applying other fictional typologies to scientific questions to see if they offer similar insights.

The study, “Entrepreneurial deviance as bright and dark character virtues: the Harry Potter study,” was authored by Martin Obschonka, Teemu Kautonen, Tobias Ebert, and Friedrich M. Götz.