There Are 2 Types Of ‘Popular Kids’ In High School, And One Usually Becomes A More Successful Adult
We all remember the popular kids that we went to high school with — do you know where they are now?
Lucretius Mooka | Pexels A clinical psychologist named Matt Prinstein has a theory that popularity in high school may be a factor contributing to some people's success as adults. He described two different types of "popular kids," and explained how one is likely doing much better than the other in adulthood.
For many of us, high school was either the four years that we wish to forget or some of the best times of our lives. No matter how many years removed you might be from high school, you definitely remember the popular kids and whether or not you were considered one of them as well.
There are two types of popular kids in high school: the likable popular kids and the status popular kids.
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In an interview with the American Psychological Association's podcast, "Speaking of Psychology," Prinstein explained that there are two different groups of popular kids in high school. You have the people who were popular when they were young, and they would be the ones that others would deem as "likable." The other group of popularity usually emerges in adolescence, and that type is called "status."
"Those are very different types of popularity. Likability is good, status is pretty bad," Prinstein said. "Likability" is the kind of popularity that we have when we're really young, and it used to be the kind of popularity that was important as you were an adult. It's based on how much you make other people feel happy, valued, and included."
Prinstein admitted that likable people are usually the most successful and often become leaders because of their welcoming and inclusive nature.
The kind of popularity we were accustomed to seeing in high school, such as the prom queen or the jocks, where someone was incredibly visible, influential, dominant, and powerful, usually has unfavorable long-term outcomes because what worked for people in high school might not necessarily work in the adult world.
Teens who had status popularity in high school and not likability struggle more as adults.
"Well, research has looked at the effects of status. The people who hold positions in our society, maybe due to celebrity or other kinds of positions of status, in your company or in our government. And what they find is that those people who are in the highest positions of status are at greater risk for depression," Pristein noted.
What's interesting is that status popularity doesn't actually mean you are well-liked. It simply means you are known by everyone. That's an important distinction as to why status popularity doesn't bode well for future successes. In an interview with Behavioral Scientist, Pristein explained, "Many people get their status by stepping on others and making themselves seem more powerful or important or worthy of attention than others. In doing so, they actually make themselves quite dislikable."
Prinstein also explained that further research has shown that the cool kids in high school, popular for status, usually end up developing addiction later on in life, and even have lower satisfaction in relationships.
Teens who were popular in high school because of being likable are better positioned for success as adults.
Mikhail Nilov | Pexels
Those who were likable and popular as teenagers tended to earn more money as adults, were happier, healthier, and lived longer lives. They usually had better marriages than those who were popular for their status, and even their children ended up doing better, too.
"So, likability is extraordinarily powerful. Which is interesting because we don't spend a lot of time teaching likability, but results say we should. The opposite is the case for status. Those who have high status grow up to have worse outcomes over time," Prinstein insisted.
While popularity is never the ultimate goal in life, being likable can help open so many doors for you in terms of having a more successful future. It's truly about how you make people feel, rather than the amount of influence you have over the people you surround yourself with. If people like you, they want you to succeed. It's as simple as that.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
