Why Not Being Popular May Be Good for Long-Term Mental Health

Why Not Being Popular May Be Good for Long-Term Mental Health

http://www.teenvogue.com/story/not-being-popular-good-for-mental-health 

If you’re the kind of person who has only a few close friends, you might feel envious of more popular people, those who seem to effortlessly maintain friendships with basically everyone. It might seem like they’re always having fun, while you’re left on the fringes. But in the long run, science says you might be better off.

According to a recent study, people who have a few close friends in their teen years, as opposed to having many friends but fewer close relationships, benefit long-term. If you have a small but tight-knit friend group when you’re 15, researchers found that when you’re 25, you’re likely to have more self-worth and fewer mental health symptoms like anxiety and depression. On the other hand, people who were more popular at age 15 are more likely to experience social anxiety a decade later.

Over a period of 10 years, researchers followed 169 teens of varying backgrounds starting at age 15. Researchers checked in with the young people each year, asking about friendships and feelings of anxiety, social acceptance, self-worth, and symptoms of depression. At the end of the 10 years, researchers determined that those who had just a few close friends had less social anxiety, more self-worth, and fewer symptoms of depression. Ultimately, researchers say the study suggests that prioritizing close friendships when you’re young could result in better mental health later on. Basically, not being popular might be a good thing.

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 Daniel French, a host on WCGO radio. Daniel welcome to the program.