You Are What You Read

In a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology they believe that what you read can impact your psyche.  The characters that you relate to in fiction can even shape your thinking.  Here is how it works (article "You are what you read, study suggests" - Click Here)
 

"[Geoff] Kaufman [a post-doctoral researcher at Tiltfactor Laboratories at Dartmouth College] and his co-author Lisa Libby of Ohio State University suspected that when people read a fictional story they vicariously experience their favorite character’s emotions, thoughts and beliefs in a process that’s been dubbed “experience-taking.”

Kaufman and Libby found that experience-taking can lead to real changes in the lives of readers. What the researchers can’t say yet is whether those changes are brief or long-lasting."

I identify with Kate Daniels, Katniss, and other strong characters.  But is it that they are having an effect on me, or that I am just drawn to certain characters in fiction?  The research does seem to point to how characters can influence a person. 

So who are some of your favorite characters?  What do you think of the idea that the characters you are "experience taking" with are influencing you?  What is you identify with Dexter?  Share, share, share please.