'Mean girls' most popular pupils

London, Apr 6: They gossip, are desperate wannabes, spread vicious rumours and spend most of their time in front of the mirror, but all this doesn't stop 'mean girls' from being the most popular pupils, according to a new research. The study showed that the self-obsessed lot are the most popular, particularly in schools, despite making life miserable for some of their other mates. Girls as young as nine learn being nasty can boost their "social visibility", the research found.

In the research, more than 600 pupils were asked to rate their school's cliques on popularity. The analysis revealed that physical aggression helped make pupils popular in the early years, but not as children grew older. "A lot of popular kids may not be well liked, but they are relationally aggressive and their peers think that they are popular," the Telegraph quoted Casey Borch, a professor of sociology at Alabama University, as saying.

He added that girls were more likely to use this behaviour than boys.

ANI