As kids begin to climb the popularity chart, it may also signal the start of certain unpopular traits like bullying and aggression which could result in unfair treatment of their peers. According to sociologist Robert Faris of UC Davis, and team leader of this study, social status may have a bearing on traits like aggression. This was the result of a study which tracked the behavior of 3722 middle and high school students during the course of an academic year.
Tendency towards aggressive behavior increased as the students went high up on the social ladder, and this behavior seemed to touch its peak when students reached the 98th percentile for popularity.
The study also revealed that those on the top 2% of social status in school did not resort to aggression or bullying of their fellow students.
This study inspires a re-thinking of strategies needed to tackle bullying and aggression among students.
Source-Medindia