XPost: soc.culture.usa, alt.lesbian, soc.retirement   
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   From: thenry@isu.edu   
      
   Popular girls were usually sluts, got knocked up and were fat   
   with three to six kids by the mid twenties.  Popular boys   
   usually had drugs, alcohol, money and condoms.   
      
   Were you the cool kid in high school? Adolescent popularity may   
   take a toll on your mental health later on, according to a new   
   study.   
      
   A group of researchers from the University of Virginia recently   
   conducted a study, which was published in Child Development, to   
   determine how teenage relationships can affect adulthood over   
   time.   
      
   To do so, they examined 169 racially and socioeconomically   
   diverse individuals over a 10-year period starting at age 15.   
   They assessed their mental health by surveying them annually on   
   their friendships, anxiety, social acceptance and symptoms of   
   depression. They also checked in with participants’ close   
   friends and peers to measure quality of popularity and   
   friendship.   
      
   They defined popularity as the number of peers in the teen’s   
   grade who ranked them as someone they’d hang out with. And high-   
   quality friendships were defined as close friendships that had a   
   degree of attachment and intimate exchanges.   
      
   Scientists found that those who had close-knit relationships at   
   age 15 had a better overall well-being at age 25. Those   
   individuals reported lower social anxiety, increased self-worth   
   and fewer symptoms of depression.   
      
   On the other hand, those who were popular in school reported   
   higher levels of social anxiety at age 25.   
      
   “Our study affirms that forming strong close friendships is   
   likely one of the most critical pieces of the teenage social   
   experience,” Joseph Allen, lead researcher, said in a statement.   
   “Being well-liked by a large group of people cannot take the   
   place of forging deep, supportive friendships. And these   
   experiences stay with us, over and above what happens later.”   
      
   While scientists noted that their study was relatively small and   
   did not factor in an individual’s personal characteristics, they   
   believe their findings reveal important information about the   
   significance of fostering relationships.   
      
   “As technology makes it increasingly easy to build a social   
   network of superficial friends,” Allen said, “focusing time and   
   attention on cultivating close connections with a few   
   individuals should be a priority.”   
      
   http://www.pjstar.com/articles/20170826/popular-in-high-school-   
   you-may-be-miserable-as-adult-study-says   
       
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)