A Brigham Young University researcher finds that kids who like Disney princesses may learn more progressive views about women

What do children get out of being fans of Disney princesses?

Five years ago, Sarah Coyne — now a professor in Brigham Young University’s School of Family Life — was lead author on a study that found preschool kids who were immersed in Disney princess culture picked up on female gender stereotypes, but not on the characters’ kindness and helpfulness.

In a continuation of that study, Coyne and her team interviewed those same kids, now in their tweens. What the team found is that those children tend to have more progressive views about women — and are less likely to harbor attitudes of toxic masculinity.

“Princess culture has some really deep and beautiful things about womanhood and relationships,” Coyne said when the study was published in the journal Child Development. “If we can grasp onto that, it can be truly healing for humanity.”

Read the details here, at sltrib.com.