Explore The Popularity Paradox as Lena and Miles discuss the gap between being liked and having social prestige, grounded in 20 years of social psychology research.

Popularity isn't a prize you win; it’s a reflection of how you treat the people around you. If you treat them with respect, warmth, and genuine interest, they’ll naturally want to be in your orbit.
How to become popular


The Popularity Paradox explores the disconnect between two distinct types of social standing: preference and perceived popularity. While we often view popularity as a single achievement, research suggests that being genuinely liked by others is often in tension with having high visibility or social prestige. This podcast discusses how these two categories function differently in our social lives and why the person with the most power isn't always the most liked.
Preference refers to likability, or how much people actually enjoy your company and want to spend time with you. In contrast, perceived popularity is defined by visibility, prestige, and social power. According to the discussion in The Popularity Paradox, these two traits do not always overlap, meaning an individual can be highly visible and influential while simultaneously being someone that others do not personally like or trust.
Yes, scientific research and a massive meta-analysis of twenty years of data support this idea. The correlation between being liked and being perceived as popular is only moderate, at approximately 0.45. This significant gap proves that social standing is complex, as many people who hold high status or social prestige are not necessarily the same people that others would choose to grab coffee with or befriend.
Creato da alumni della Columbia University a San Francisco
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Creato da alumni della Columbia University a San Francisco
