If like me you grew up watching John Hughes movies, in which the underdog ultimately winds up on top, this post is sure to disappoint. The National Bureau of Economic Research has found that the popular kids in school get the last laugh, after all—and the most bank notes.
According to an article in Slate, the researchers first measured popularity via 'friendship nominations' to establish a correlation between future income. Just one more vote in high school was "associated with a two percent wage advantage 35 years later.” Gulp.
Apparently the study is legit, based on kids tracked for a 50-year-old period in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, which began honing in on "white male high school students" back in 1957. Even socioeconomic factors were controlled. Then again, as a group white males in the late '50s already had it pretty sweet.
Perhaps that high school popularity later fed into social and professional networking skills. In other words, these kids learned early on the "rules of the game socially and know how to gain acceptance and support; when to trust; and when to reciprocate."
Take heed, the Molly Ringwalds of this world—family income status played "only a minor role in popularity."
Do you buy into this study? If you deigned to attend your high school reunion, did the cool kids also turn out to be some of the wealthiest?
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