I enjoyed this interesting book which looked at the different types of popularity (one good, one not so good), why we often aim for the wrong one, and why people seek one but not the other but are ultimately unfulfilled. There's some interesting information about other cultures than America/UK and everything is backed up with references. The theory that one's popularity is rooted in one's teenage years can be devastating for the less popular; however, the author discusses ways in which one can work to be more likeable and gain popularity, so it's ultimately a positive book.

I've now added links to my reviews on Shiny New Books and my own blog ...

I will be doing a longer-form review for Shiny New Books and will post the link up here when that's published.

How do we identify who is popular? Can we alter our popularity or is it part of our engrained personality and will not alter as we mature from school ground to workplace? This book based on research shows there are various types of popularity and more than just childhood intelligence, family background, or prior psychological issues,how popular we were in our youth predicts success and happiness in our later years. A great book for all.

In common with many books of this type, a sound theme (the extent to which popularity amongst our peers at school can be a strong determinant of future success and happiness) is arguably stretched almost to the point of boredom. Which is a pity because there is a risk that the importance of the thesis is weakened by length and repetition. I ran out of steam about half way through, but maybe that says more about my concentration span than the quality of the book! A 'must read' but probably would have been better for half as many words.

Whilst a book that has many fascinating insights and advice for young and old struggling with the eternal uncertainties of relationships between people, for me it shares the problem of many books describing the research findings in psychology. There is the ever-present risk of failing properly to distinguish between anecdote and data as well as some sense of confidence limits on the findings cited. As a physical scientist/engineer I am most comfortable with quantitative data and some acknowledgement of the confidence attaching to findings, as well as references to contrary findings. This is all the more important when describing findings relating to relatively small populations, particularly given the difficulty of securing homogeneity within populations. Despite this moan - which, to be fair, is applicable to most books for a general audience in this field.- it is nonetheless an entertaining and informative read. One additional criticism: the author tries to have a foot in both camps when describing 'healthy' responses to adverse outcomes that appear to avoid accepting responsibility for actions, whilst at the same time deploring a reluctance to accept responsibility.

I found it hard going and stopped reading at 11%. Too much background on old psychologists and popular people, he needs to get to it. I decided I don't want to know that much how and why people are popular.

I am not sure what I was expecting from this book but it wasn't what I expected. However I did thoroughly enjoy the book, even though it seems quite apparent that you are still affected in adulthood by your teen years. But it was written in an easily accessible format and therefore highly enjoyable.

A completely fascinating book analysing years of research into the correlation between childhood popularity and outcomes in later life. Some of the longitudinal studies are fascinating. Basically, if you were well liked at school (not necessarily the same as having Popular kid status), you'll be a happier, more balanced adult. We all knew that, really. But there's interesting theories as to why that is - the evolutionary advantages of being social, the ability to perceive threats etc.

The style is very accessible and it's an informative and interesting read. There are references at the back if you're inclined to go find the original research.

If you're a parent of a tiny baby, or expecting, or even the sort of person who is beat yourself up about your parenting skills, you might find that the last couple of chapters make you question your every interaction with your baby...

Overall, a great popular science book (see what I did there?).

I received a copy from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Prof Prinstein tells us that popularity covers two concepts- status and likability. We need to chose and cultivate likability to have a happy life. Pursuing status leads to addictions, depression, and hollow lives. Unfortunately US society prizes status.
This is a clearly written book with brief vignettes of many psychological experiments, well described neuroscience and life stories of people who were more or less popular.
I always wondered why Ignaz Semmelweis' important work on puerperal infection was largely ignored; the author tells us it was because he was an unpleasant, angry and aggressive person.
I would have liked more about different cultures and countries, we don't all live in the US, but perhaps the research hasn't been done in other settings yet.
As a psychiatrist I found the book interesting and easy to read, I think it will be accessible to general readers, and I will be recommending it to others,

This was an easy, information-filled read, made compelling by the author's conversational no-bullshit style. It was definitely interesting to read about popularity, the difference between status and likability, and the ways our entire lives, careers, relationships and mental health can be affected by our popularity in early childhood and adolescence.

I think the only problem is how reductionist some of the ideas are. Prinstein straight up acknowledges that the five popularity types - Accepted, Rejected, Neglected, Controversial and Average - are reductive in nature, but then proceeds to form generalizations based upon them anyway. I am skeptical as to how universal his findings are.

The book is driven by anecdotes, featuring many different people who fall into one of the categories of popularity. I liked this a lot. Prinstein explores how this affects their life, showing how more qualified people can be passed up for a promotion if another candidate is an "Accepted", or how people unconsciously listen to and value the opinion of popular "Accepted" people over others.

Lots of interesting info and thought-provoking anecdotes, but I don't know that it's as simple and black and white as the author portrays. Personality, popularity and privilege overlap in many complex ways; it seems silly to suggest that all people who enjoy a certain type of popularity will reap the future benefits, or alternatively, those who are "Rejected" or "Neglected" may be affected more or less by their status and/or likability, depending on the individual. Factors such as gender, wealth, and class surely also come into play.

An interesting take on popularity. Basically, there are several types of people - from accepted to rejected - and this shapes your response to friendships and interactions throughout your days. Whilst i agree that some people are more popular than others, I do think that it very much depends on the environment. A child who is on the periphery in one environment, can be warmly accepted and popular in another.

I thought the tales were insightful and particularly liked the section on helping kids.

4* from me.

This is one of those reference books that is very easy to read, keeps to the point and avoids unnecessary waffle, making it a very refined and starkly interesting book about popularity.
It is broken down into 3 main parts: types of popularity; ways to change our lives and a so what do we do next component.
As a clinical psychologist, Prinstein conveys how he has been drawn to peer relationships since a youngster and has for years collected many vignettes. Indeed he starts to reflect back to 1977 and school playground days to convey how some children become popular and are the centre of attention, whilst despite the best efforts of others, there are those that are simply ignored.
Essentially we all fit into a social hierarchy, most in the middle amongst other similar peer cliques. The degree of our social popularity draws strong emotional recollection and shapes who we become as adults, thus impacting upon our esteem, insecurities and happiness. Most of us never overcome our desire to be more popular, however being the most popular isn’t necessarily always a good thing.
There is a correlation between being popular in childhood and having happier relationships as adults. To this end the book offers a framework to understand and consider prior experiences, present choices and also some means to recognise/change the less fruitful repeated behaviours. There is a fascinating explanation of the difference between popularity being a means of status; featured by dominance and influence with that of likeability. It immediately enables you determine which friends and acquaintances fall into these categories and recognising the sway of likeability in general.
The impact of whether we were accepted, rejected, neglected, average or controversial as children is related to such as the way we use social media today, so that you can spot status versus likeability styled posts. The impact of these experiences and how they impact on our relationships as adults and our parenting skills is also touched upon, so that all in all it is a fascinating, relevant and applicable books that most will probably feel able to read in one sitting.

All throughout the reading of this book so many thoughts crossed my mind, over and over…
“OMG, I hope this book is published in Portuguese soon. I’ll buy so many copies to gift friends”
“OMG, this is exactly what happened last week at work!”
“OMG, that’s me you’re describing right there!”
Several OMGs were employed in the reading of this book. Really.
This is my kind of personal development book. It’s heavy on the science research, but it does a great job relating all of it with real life cases.
According to the author, there are two kinds of popularity: status-based and likability-based. The book goes on to prove that likability-based is the kind of popularity that has better effects on people in the long run. The first 2/3 of the book build the concept of popularity, how it happens and what it does to people. The last part deals with what we can do to improve our popularity standing and how to help our kids to succeed in this aspect of life.
I rarely re-read a book, but I think this will be one exception. There will always be development to be made in this aspect of my life and I think Mitch Prinstein would be the perfect coach to help me.

I have read this via NetGalley. It is a well researched and revealing analysis of what makes us popular-or not- and what effect this has on our personalities from childhood onwards. Every reader will identify with this in one way or another. At times it can be upsetting depending on your personal experiences as a child or as an adult. The case histories are important to the analysis too. This is an unusual and very important book.

Thought-provoking and interesting, Prinstein's 'Popular' explores in great depth, the importance of likeability and popularity in today's world, and how ultimately, the latter can impact the rest of our lives. As eye-opening as it is engaging, 'Popular' investigates the many facets of the universal notion of popularity in an information-dense yet accessible manner. Would recommend to those interested in human behaviour and psychology as well as anyone wishing to find out more about the subject.

A little repetitive but an interesting view of the way of the world.