Although high school students may think popularity is of the utmost importance, a new study found that it may not lead to long-term happiness.
What mattered more, according to the study published in the journal Child Development, is whether the teens had close friendships they maintained over time.
"In general, adolescents with high-quality close friendships report higher rates of overall happiness than those without.".
The study looked a group of students from the same school over time, to study the correlation between adolescent friendships and long-term mental health.
The students in the study were each asked to identify their closest friend, who was also interviewed to assess the strength of their friendship.
To assess popularity, researchers asked classmates to list the top and bottom ten peers with whom they would want to spend free time.
In this case, popularity was measured by which students received the highest percentage of "most liked" rankings. »