Does popularity among kids in school affect whether or not a person will be successful later in life? There is no simple answer to this question.
The short answer is that, no, popularity in school does not indicate whether or not someone will be a success as an adult.
We've all heard stories of those who reach their peak in high school, only to make their way to adulthood living a completely average existence.
We've also all heard stories of people who were decidedly uncool in school who turned out to be huge successes in adulthood.
How Popularity May Help When we think of what defines success, we think of someone who grows up to have a good-paying career they enjoy, a nice home and a happy family life.
Achieving these things takes a combination of hard work, luck and determination.
Everyone has the potential to work hard and succeed in life, whether they were part of the popular crowd or not.
However, certain traits that popular kids often have may give a bit of an edge later in life.
For example, many kids become popular because they are outgoing and have good people skills, two traits that most successful people are known to possess.
Several studies have also shown that people who are perceived as being physically attractive also have an edge when it comes to both popularity and future success.
Hope for the Uncool There are instances where being the unpopular kid in school can give an advantage.