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Strollerderby
They Say: Maybe Following the Crowd is a Good Thing
“So if Heather told you to jump in the lake, would you?
Are you really sure you know how you’d like your teen to answer that question? You may want to think again.
Bowing to peer pressure is not necessarily a bad thing—and may even be a step on the way to a happy and well-adjusted adulthood, according to Joe Allen, a professor at the University of Virginia and the author of the upcoming book, ”Escaping the Endless Adolescence“, Allen began studying a group of seventh graders ten years ago. He found that those kids that cared about what others thought ultimately attained a higher GPA and forged healthier friendships and romantic relationships. Those that marched to their own drummer scored lower grades and less successful personal connections. It seems that the social skills that the “followers” used to pilot through life were lost on the individualists—ultimately resulting in a less satisfying existence.
Luckily, Allen dispels the myth that peer pressure encourages teen smoking and drinking. Turns out that those types of pressures are not that intense; the kids who are dead set on smoking weed merely seek out the same.
Read the full story here.
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Ali commented on Oct 18 09 at 8:33 pmI suspect those joiners are of average intelligence and not very creative or inventice people. Ignorance is bliss so naturally they are happier. Highly creative, intelligent and inventive people are usually outsiders as they are uncommon. They are also singled out for being “wierd”. Our culture adores mediocrity and conformity. Innovation and intelligence are frowned upon. This study is bullshit.
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