Popular Kids Believe Bullying Enhances Their Status

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The most popular kids in school are probably the most aggressive, according to a new study.  While aggression will not increase a kid’s popularity, popularity does increase aggression. The study by two University of California-Davis sociologists finds that popular kids have a tendency to be social climbers, and believe bullying is a tool for reinforcing or enhancing their status. But there’s a very different story to tell about kids who are extremely popular – the top 2 percent. They're actually the least aggressive and it may well be because they feel the most secure, according livescience.com

The study is published in the American Sociological Review, where researchers also report that the nearly two-thirds of kids are bystanders and do not participate in bullying.  They recommend that efforts to end aggression and bullying should focus on getting those bystanders to condemn bullying.