'Cool kids' face trouble in early adulthood

London: University of Virginia researchers have found that 'cool' teens face problems in early adulthood, in comparison to their
'un-cool' peers.

According to a new decade-long study, though the popular kids are often idolized, in depictions ranging from James Dean's 'Rebel Without a Cause' to Tina Fey's 'Mean Girls', seeking popularity and attention by trying to act older than one's age may not yield the expected benefits.

Researchers followed 184 teens from age 13, who were romantically involved at an early age, engaged in delinquent activity, and placed a premium on hanging out with physically attractive peers were thought to be popular by their peers at that age.

But over time, the sentiment faded and by 22, those once-cool teens were rated by their peers as being less competent in managing social relationships.

Professor Joseph P. Allen, who led the study said that it appears that while so-called cool teens' behavior might have been linked to early popularity, over time, these teens needed more and more extreme behaviors to try to appear cool, and hence became involved in more serious criminal behavior and alcohol and drug use as adolescence progressed.

The study is published in the journal Child Development.