Teenagers deemed ‘cool’ and ‘popular’ at school at greater risk of relationship and drug problems in adult life – Study

Kids who are paraded as cool and popular in school or acted too mature for their age face a greater chance of having social problems in adult life, a study has shown.

According to Daily Mail UK;

Those who act precocious and are seen as ‘cool’ in their early teenage years may face a difficult future. A comprehensive longitudinal study found those who, at 13, acted old for their age and hung out with attractive people were deemed more popular by their friends. The same once-popular teenagers were identified as being at greater risk for relationship and drug problems in adulthood.

Researchers followed 184 teenagers for 10 years, from age 13 to 23, and asked participants a number of questions about their lives. These included: who their close friends were; which peers they thought were popular; and whether they’d used drugs or had a romantic relationship.

At age 13, kids who acted ‘old for their age’ – by romancing other girls/boys, engaging in deviant behavior like sneaking into a cinema without paying, and also hanging out with attractive people – were deemed to be most popular by their peers. Researchers also found that those who were naturally attractive, or who tried to look more attractive by wearing makeup, may be perceived as more mature.

These ‘cool kids’ also cared more about being popular than did other teenagers. But by age 22, these exact same behaviors that earned them high-scoring popularity as teenagers were linked with a decline in popularity. Former cool kids were perceived as being less competent at managing their relationships or getting along with friends. They were also at greater risk of committing criminal activity and substance use problems at age 21 to 23.

Astoundingly, acting ‘old for your age’ in school is a better predictor of drug problems in adulthood than actual drug use in your teens, report Live Science.

The researchers stress that behaviors such as having romantic relationships or breaking the rules are common among older teens.

But in the early teen years, ‘these seemingly minor behaviors predict far greater future risk than has heretofore been recognized,’ the researchers wrote in yesterday’s issue of the journal Child Development. While the study cannot determine the reason for the findings, researchers speculate that teens who try to make friends by acting cool actually end up less socially skilled, because they did not learn more positive ways of interacting with people.

Over time, these teens may also feel they need to turn to more and more extreme behaviors to ‘impress’ friends, which may lead to more serious drug and alcohol use and criminal activity. Researchers say future research is needed to determine why these behaviors (acting old for your age) develop, and how exactly they could lead to long-term problems.