The psychology of cool
The New York Times published a fascinating article on social hierarchies in high school yesterday. Check it out here.
About 15 to 20 percent of students are considered “well-liked” by their peers, the Times reports.
About 50 percent have friends, but are “not liked and not disliked,” by their peers.
Between 30 and 35 percent are misfits.
“In several remarkable studies, researchers have brought together students from different schools, representing different levels of the social hierarchy. Within hours, sometimes less, the children assume their accustomed places — the popular ones on top, the socially awkward on the bottom.”
The Times also talked to researchers about how a student’s place on the social ladder affects decisions, self-image and behavior patterns later in life.
Fascinating stuff, but (insert grain of salt here) what was the methodology behind these statistics? I understand it weighs an article down and takes up a lot more newsprint. I also know the devil’s always in the details.
I also wonder – does the size of the school have an impact on the prominence of social hierarchies? That wasn’t addressed in this article, but there’s a lot of debate right now, locally and nationwide, about whether school size impacts learning and school culture.
What do you think?
1 Comment
Rachel,
That was a fascinating NYTimes article; thanks for the link to it!
Ah, the science behind the study…indeed. But, whether or not the data was reliably discovered and recorded doesn’t detract from the fun of going back in time (thanks to memory cells that appear to be still working)and attempting to apply the percentages to one’s own H.S. classmates of 50 years ago.
20% Top Dogs…brawn & beauty, mostly.
50% Just the rest of us…the muddled masses.
30% Out of place folks…searchers.
Yep, I’d say the %’s fit my class.
And then, again with those memory cells attempt to place yourself within that pot while you were in H.S.
My memory tells me that had I been asked during my H.S. days to place myself, I’d have placed myself in the 50% group.
If there’s any reliability to the %’s, then I’d think the the standard bell curve comes into play and the same ratios would exist regardless of the size of the school…there are nerds,nuts and nobodies everywhere, just as there are brains and brawnies, all living among the rest of us, the big 50%.
Fun article…thanks.