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The Daily Insight

Is it important being popular

Author

Jessica Wood

Published May 06, 2026

Science says there could be a psychological downside to being popular in high school later in life. New research shows being popular may not be as important as having a select few close friends. Teens with close bonds grew up to be better at handling mental health issues like anxiety and depression.

Why is teenage popularity important?

Why Being Popular Matters To Teenagers Gaining acceptance from peers who are going through the same things helps to compensate for the insecurity created by all the changes in the other areas of life. As a result teenagers derive a great deal of self worth from the approval and acceptance derived from their peer group.

Does popularity make you happy?

Being popular doesn’t mean you’ll be happier. New research suggests that for adolescents, having a few close friends is a better indicator of how happy and successful teens will be later in life. In the study, 160 teens were studied over the course of 10 years, from 15 years old to the time they reached 25.

What are the effects of popularity?

Furthermore, social media magnifies the effects of popularity in high school—and it can also magnify the mental health toll. Popular teens who have a high number of followers on social media feel constant pressure to maintain their “perfect” image and garner positive reactions to their posts.

Does popularity make you successful?

In Fact, It’s Often The Opposite. First, there are two types of popularity. One is status (aka, being seen as “cool”).

Does Popularity matter after high school?

Turns out, it doesn’t necessarily matter. Whether or not your high class voted you “most popular,” teenagers who perceive themselves as well liked are just as socially successful over time as the kids who actually are part of the in-crowd, according to a new study in the May-June issue of Child Development.

Does high school popularity affect your future?

People who are likable tend to have a handful of strong, close friendships. It is this type of popularity that tends to serve people well later in life. … So having a few, strong friendships in high school will benefit you more later in life than having a ton of acquaintances.

What are advantages of being popular?

Being famous generally means being richer. One of the very obvious advantages of being famous is that fame generally brings lots of fortune. Celebrities and other famous people are generally richer than the average Joe.

Why do some kids become popular?

Parents’ genetics may also determine “our general comfort level when we interact with others,” known as “behavioral inhibition,” and children who naturally feel more comfortable in social situations tend to become more popular.

What are the negative consequences of being too popular?

The researchers found that the more popular the victims are, the more depression, anxiety, anger and social marginalization they experience. “This may be because popular students feel like they have more to lose” Faris says.

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What makes a teenager popular?

In prior research, two groups of popular adolescents stand out: those who are aggressive and those who are prosocial. Prosocial popular teens acquire and maintain popularity through cooperation. Aggressive popular teens acquire and maintain popularity through coercion and aggressive behavior.

Is it good to be unpopular?

However, even though it might make your daily life a little more trying, being unpopular can actually be a good thing because it will help you learn how to interact with different kinds of people and focus your energy on things other than partying and shallow friendships.

What is popularity psychology?

Popular psychology (sometimes shortened as pop psychology or pop psych) is the concepts and theories about human mental life and behavior that are purportedly based on psychology and that find credence among and pass muster with the populace. …

What are the disadvantages of being popular in school?

  • School Popularity May Affect Future Happiness. …
  • Developing Deep Friendships Takes Work. …
  • Earlier Study: Coolness Doesn’t Translate to Success. …
  • Reasons for Popularity Makes a Difference.

Why is popularity so important in business?

Popular brands share a special relationship with their consumers, finding it easier to create brand loyalty and grow their user base. This is because they tend to have a higher volume of referrals and more word-of-mouth traffic, which in turn, drives sales. … Popularity is all about the ‘buzz’ around your brand.

What is the key to being popular?

Some are popular because they are likable. People enjoy being around them due to personality traits such as positivity, trustworthiness, friendliness, or attentiveness. Others are popular because they have a high social status. This can be because of looks, success, or wealth.

What is more important being right or being popular?

doing the right thing is more important because popularism is for some time someone or the other will replace u but when u do right things nobody will forget u and will always give respect and most importantly u will respect yourself more.

Why is high school so hard?

High school is difficult in quite a few ways. One reason is that it is the time most kids are going through puberty, so emotions and drives can confuse priorities and values. Jealousy, lust, and other emotions color the choices you make about school courses and how much commitment you will have to those courses.

Are popular kids attractive?

Peers tend to describe popular kids as attractive, athletic, wealthy, nice dressers, and “not boring.” Popularity is also linked to being friends with other popular peers. … The prosocial popular children are “nice” kids who do well in school and act in friendly ways toward their peers.

What are the two types of popularity?

  • social preference (likability)
  • social reputation (status)

What are the pros of being smart?

The advantages of being intelligent are undeniable. Intelligent people are more likely to get better grades and go farther in school. They are more likely to be successful at work. And they are less likely to get into trouble (for example, commit crimes) as adolescents.

What are the disadvantages of being a actor?

  • Most actors don’t get rich.
  • Pressure can be enormous.
  • Competition is quite fierce.
  • Castings can be hard.
  • Questionable job security.
  • Actors often have drug problems.
  • One bad performance can ruin your career.
  • Shitstorms on social media are quite common.

What are the advantages of being famous ielts speaking?

One of the advantages of being a celebrity is that fame almost always brings riches. Celebrities are popular. This popularity makes them great brand ambassadors. Companies hire them to endorse their products because products promoted by celebrities tend to sell well.

How can I help my unpopular teenager?

  1. Tip #1: Understand Your Child’s Social Status.
  2. Tip #2: Offer Social Situations.
  3. Tip #3: Teach Them to Improve Their Likability.
  4. Tip #4: Strive for Friendships.
  5. Tip #5: Help Your Child Grow Emotionally.

How do you get likes at school?

  1. 1 Talk to Everyone. …
  2. 2 Develop Your Own Style. …
  3. 3 Get Involved in Extracurriculars. …
  4. 4 Be Active in Class. …
  5. 5 Go to the “hangouts” …
  6. 6 Have Multiple Groups of Friends. …
  7. 7 Make the Right Friends.

How do you help teenage girls?

  1. Don’t take difficult behavior personally.
  2. Establish ground rules and boundaries.
  3. Communicate.
  4. Be compassionate.
  5. Focus on the positive.
  6. Let them take healthy risks.
  7. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
  8. Compromise.

How do I accept not being popular?

Try to be a good listener in conversations, it can make you more likable. Never run after people for acceptance instead practice self approval. Try to be compassionate with yourself and if you are not popular now then it’s not your fault. Be positive and say to yourself “I am not popular yet….

What makes a person popular in high school?

Usually, the two main determinants of “reputation-based” popularity in high school, according to Prinstein, are aggressiveness (“unfortunately, in order to make [themselves] seem high on the totem pole, a lot of kids and adults sometimes try and belittle others”) and physical attractiveness.

What makes something popular?

The most intuitive for most of us is the ‘fads and fashions’ process. People, brands, and styles become popular because the right people have adopted it — rich people, celebrities, opinion leaders, hipsters in subcultures — and we copy them in the eternal human quest to be fashionable and admired.

What is popularity based on?

In sociology, popularity is how much a person, idea, place, item or other concept is either liked or accorded status by other people. Liking can be due to reciprocal liking, interpersonal attraction, and similar factors. Social status can be due to dominance, superiority, and similar factors.