Santa Is More Real Than Peter Pan: Children Have A “Hierarchy” Of Belief In Fictional Characters

The creeping realisation that Santa isn’t real can be a watershed moment — not quite an entry into adulthood, but certainly a step in its direction.

But “real” and “not real” are not the only two categories that children have when it comes to cultural figures, according to a new study. Rather than a black-and-white model, children seem to have a “sensible hierarchy” of belief in various figures — and cultural rites and norms for those figures play a big part in its creation. Continue reading →