Popular teens 'become anxious adults'

High-quality, not high-quantity, school friendships improve mental health later in life

Students in Bath receive their A-Level results
(Image credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Popular kids at school are more likely to become anxious adults, a new study has found.

Research by the University of Virginia found that high-school students with "higher-quality friendships", defined as close relationships with a degree of attachment and support, tended to improve in several aspects of mental health over time. But teens who were "popular", defined by the number of their peers who ranked them as someone they would like to spend time with, may be more prone to social anxiety later in life.

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