New Study Says Popular Kids Are More Likely to Be Anxious Adults

According to the authors of a new study, kids are popular in school more go on to become anxious adults because of their lack of close friendships. The researchers from the University of Virginia add that so-called “cool” behaviors like drinking, taking drugs and having adolescent sex, may also have an impact on the long-term mental health of popular kids. It turns out, they say, that the people who are thought of as the “losers” in school, often become the “winners” as adults because they maintain friendships with their close-knit school circle and as a result developed the skills needed for happy romantic relationships!

Popular teens may grow into anxious adults. According to a new study by researchers from the University of Virginia, teens who were popular in school might grow into anxious adults as a result of having few close friendships. The so-called “cool” behaviors they indulge in like underage drinking, drug-taking, and adolescent sex, may also have a long-term mental health impact.

“Losers” become the “winners” later in life. In contrast, however, those who were considered “losers,” often maintain friendships with a close-knit school circle, from whose intimacy they learn many of the skills they need to have successful romantic relationships. These kids often go on to the “winners,” say researchers, in their adult lives.

Having good friends in school matters more in the long run. According to the study’s authors, it appears that it is better to have good friends at school compared to being popular. They found that 15-year-olds who had close friends have higher levels of self-esteem and exhibited fewer symptoms of depression a decade later.

Having good friends in school matters more in the long run. According to the study’s authors, it appears that it is better to have good friends at school compared to being popular. They found that 15-year-olds who had close friends have higher levels of self-esteem and exhibited fewer symptoms of depression a decade later.

Healthier to build friendships than to seek social status. Rather than seek social status, say the researchers, invest in cultivating “close, genuine friendships.” These are healthier.

Make cultivating close connections a priority. Technology has made it easy to create a “social network of superficial friends,” says Allen. He advises, however, that teens put more of their focus on cultivating a few close connections as a matter of priority.

Study monitored 15-year-olds for a decade. The longitudinal study monitored 169 15-year-olds every year for 10 years. The findings were then published in the journal Child Development.

Researchers monitored teens’ popularity and mental health. Researchers measured the teens’ popularity by collecting nominations for the “most-liked” from their peers. They were then asked questions about the strength of their friendships and to evaluate their feelings when it came to depression, self-worth, social anxiety and social acceptance.

Teens with close friendships have less social anxiety at age 25. According to the researchers, the results showed that kids who “prioritized close friendships” had lower levels of social anxiety. They also exhibited higher levels of self-worth and fewer symptoms of depression when they observed at age 25.

Popularity did not show the same benefits. Those who had spent their teens years focused more their status and the rewards or short-term relationships say the researchers showed higher levels of social anxiety when observed through early adulthood. Their teenage approach to life, say study authors, did not lead to “positive long term emotional health.”

Teens with friends in school feel more unique. Teens who have close friendships in school, say researchers, benefit from feeling more unique and enjoy the bonus of experiencing what it is like to be able to rely on others to keep your secrets and stay loyal to you. Thos they say gives a long-lasting boost to self-esteem.

Popular kids may not even be liked. Popularity, on the other hand, say researchers is often founded on “social dominance.” This can mean that people may evaluate someone as being popular even while not liking them.

Popular kids may damage future prospects by not focussing on schoolwork. Popular kids may also damage their future prospects, say researchers, by putting so much focus on being liked rather than on their schoolwork. This is then compounded by the fact that they have also missed out on many of the benefits experienced by the kids who were considered “losers” but had a close-knit circle of friends - “support, individual attention, [and] warmth,” among others.

Close knot friendships foundation of adult romantic relationships. According to the study’s leader, Dr. Rachel Narr, the skills that are developed as a result of “establishing and maintaining intimacy and depth in close friendships” appear to take on specific importance by the time kids get to their mid-teens. There is evidence she says that this turns out to be the foundation of later success in romantic relationships.

So-called “losers” know how to create the love relationships they want. Teens who spent their time on nurturing their friendships in school may end up having better luck as adults with the opposite sex, as they expect to have similar levels of intimacy, support, and loyalty from their romantic relationships as they received from their close friendships. They not only have this expectation but have the developed the skills to nurture these aspects and maintain them.