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Brett McKay here and welcome to another edition of the Art of Manliness Podcast.

When you hear the word popular, you're probably transported back to high school where,

even if the social scene wasn't quite broken up into jocks and nerves as depicted in movies from

the 90s and 80s, various groups and clicks formed some semblance of a social hierarchy.

And even as an adult, you probably remember where you stood in that pecking order and have some

powerful emotions associated with that. My guess today is research why popularity plays a key role

in our social and psychological development and how our place in the social pecking order even as

children and teenagers can affect our happiness and well-being even when we're in our 30s and 40s.

His name is Mitch Princeton. He's the professor of adolescent psychology at the University of

North Carolina and the author of the book Popular, the power of likability in a status-obsessed

world. Today on the show, Mitch breaks down the two types of social status that he's researches,

popularity and likability. He then shares research that suggests that while popularity comes with

some short-term benefits, it also has a tremendous amount of long-term downsides. Instead of focusing

on popularity, Mitch argues that learning to be likable can get you all the benefits status without

the drawbacks and shares what you can do to become more likable in your own life. He then digs

into the research that shows how children as young as five are already aware of who's likable

and who isn't and they're already forming these pecking orders and how and why that status

sensitivity goes into overdrive in your teenage years and how being likable at a young age can

have benefits well into adulthood. Fascinating show filled with great insights and practical tips

after the show's over, check out the show notes at aam.is slash popular.

Mitch Princeton, welcome to the show. Thanks for having me.

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