How Cartoons can Influence your Personality
Many of us grew up watching cartoons before school, after school, and maybe even Saturday mornings, but did we ever think about how what we were watching to pass the time would affect us in the future?
Many shows that seemed fun and entertaining also carried valuable life lessons such as bravery, kindness, perseverance, teamwork, friendship, and honesty. Even if we may not realize it at the moment, these cartoons are secretly shaping the person we will become.
Such qualities help a child learn the many life skills they need for adulthood. This can help a child learn right from wrong and good from bad from a very early age. “The study: Positive Effects of Prosocial Cartoon Viewing on Aggression Among Children” by Frontiers in Psychology found that children who watched cartoons that promote kindness, sharing and cooperation showed lower levels of aggression and a more positive social behavior.
It is clear that certain cartoons can influence a child to be a better sibling, classmate, friend, and a better person as a whole. “My Hero Academia and Curious George influenced me to become a creative person, go beyond my abilities and always push myself,” said junior Joseph Alvarado
Junior Nathan Fonseca spoke about another fan favorite, “Avatar: The Last Airbender. Besides the fighting and the journey Aang and his friends took, it taught me a lot about what it meant to find yourself and not adhere to what others want you to do, instead choosing to take my own path in life.” said Nathan.
Cartoon characters could also be very positive role models for children growing up without one. Characters like Ben Tynoson from the Ben10 series can be someone who little kids aspire to be and they would try to imitate his heroic actions.
They demonstrated this by standing up for themselves or protecting someone they love. Another character a kid could look up to is Spongebob from the Spongebob Squarepants series for his funny personality and his hard working and persistent mindset.
Some cartoons can also boost your knowledge and learning capability from a young age. Programs like PBS kids airs shows that are educational and informational, but also entertaining for kids. Shows like Wild Kratts teach you about hundreds of different animals and the environments they live in. They also teach you about the effects of climate change and poaching to inform you on how to keep these animals safe and around for generations to come.
Other shows on the same program like Cyberchase and Odd Squad teach you about math and science. By watching these shows you could learn math skills that would advance you beyond your years before you even step foot into a classroom. These cartoons can help form an interest in biology, zoology, and even ecology.
While the positive impacts of cartoons on your personality are apparent, there are also some underlying negative impacts as well. Specific cartoons can promote unrealistic expectations for children and teens. They reinforce ideas of how young girls should always focus on beauty and appearance or how boys should always be strong and athletic.
These expectations can cause kids to compare themselves to these characters and feel bad about themselves because they are different. This can also influence the way they view the world and how other people view them.
The characters, behaviors, and messages shown in cartoons can influence children’s expectations, attitudes and even their personality as they grow up. While cartoons can teach positive lessons like friendship and courage, they also create unrealistic expectations. Because of this, being aware of what you are watching and fully understanding what’s going on is a great way for you to encourage the positive lessons rather than the negative ones.
