Being“Cool” in Middle School

　　A new study shows that gentle and quiet kids in middle school willgrow up to rule. Or, at least, they’ll live healthier and more productive livesthan the “cool” kids will.　　The study looked at13-year-olds who acted old for their age by having “cool” behavior, such asearly romantic relationships. They were seen as “cool” and popular kids. But asthey grew up, things changed. The study found that these kids tended to haveproblems with drugs and relationships by their early 20s.Their behavior was nolonger linked with popularity. Instead, they were thought to be less sociallyskilled by their peers. Besides, the average “cool” kids, by age 22, did morepoorly than the average kids in the study. They had a 45 percent greater rateof problems due to drugs and alcohol. They also had a 22 percent greater rateof criminal behavior. The study also found that these kids failed to developimportant life skills. They spent so much time trying to seem cool. They didn’tdevelop the skills needed for meaningful friendships.

　　The study followed 86 male and 98 female middle school students fora 10-year period. It has some surprising findings. In particular, the studynotes that the so-called “cool” behavior is a predictor (预示) of future problems with drugs and alcohol. In fact, it is a betterpredictor than drug and alcohol use in middle school. However, one conclusionof the study is welcome. Researchers said that parents shouldn’t worry too muchif their kids don’t seem that popular. If a kid prefers to spend Saturdaynights at home watching a movie or reading instead of going out with friends, thatis not a cause for concern. Many “uncool” kids, they said, do much better lateron than the popular kids do.