Psychology News
A team of researchers at Florida Atlantic University explored why students with fewer friends copy their peers. The study is published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence.
The Study
The researchers surveyed 678 adolescents from public middle schools across the US in reciprocated friendships. The participants reported their own social anxiety and somatic symptoms. Their teachers reported on students’ prosocial behavior and academic engagement.
The Findings
The study claims that school-going children with a handful of friends copy their peers to avoid unpopularity. In an attempt to reduce dissimilarity and increase compatibility within a friend dyad, those with fewer friends are at greater susceptibility to peer influence. It is also found that this childhood tendency extends well into adulthood.
The authors elaborated: “Children with more to lose from friendship dissolution are aware that conformity helps to preserve existing friendships, by strengthening similarities that serve as a foundation for shared enjoyment and by reducing potential sources of conflict that may disrupt exchanges.”
To Know More You May Refer To
Faur, S., Laursen, B., & Juvonen, J. (2023). Adolescents with Few Friend Alternatives are Particularly Susceptible to Influence from Friends. Journal of youth and adolescence, 52(3), 637–650. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01718-x