Cool kids never have the time, nor much of an adult life either

18 May 2011

Children who are marginalised at school because they are considered to be geeks or nerds, tend to be more successful as adults.

This because they are far more self aware, spontaneous, and creative, than “popular” students, says Alexandra Robbins, who has written a book on the subject, The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth.

So called popular students are more likely to act and think according to the wishes of the groups or cliques there are part of, rather than on their own, behaviours that are unhelpful in adult life.

Even if the kids in these cliques are momentarily on top of the world, Robbins says the traits they are learning could be toxic in their future lives. “When you are in the popular crowd you are more likely to be conformist, you are more likely to hide aspects of your identity in order to fit into the crowd, you are more likely to be involved in relational aggression, you are more likely to have goals of social dominance rather than forming actual true friendships,” Robbins says, pausing for a breath. “You are more likely to let other people pressure you into doing things. None of those things is admirable or useful as adults.”

Originally published Wednesday 18 May 2011, with subsequent revisions, updates to lapsed URLs, etc.