Popular: The Power of Likability in a Status-Obsessed World by Mitch Prinstein

No matter how old you are, there’s a good chance that the word “popular” immediately transports you back to your teenage years. Most of us can easily recall the adolescent social cliques, the high school pecking order, and which of our peers stood out as the most or the least popular teens we knew. Even as adults we all still remember exactly where we stood in the high school social hierarchy, and the powerful emotions associated with our status persist decades later. This may be for good reason.

Popular examines why popularity plays such a key role in our development and, ultimately, how it still influences our happiness and success today. In many ways—some even beyond our conscious awareness—those old dynamics of our youth continue to play out in every business meeting, every social gathering, in our personal relationships, and even how we raise our children. Our popularity even affects our DNA, our health, and our mortality in fascinating ways we never previously realized. More than childhood intelligence, family background, or prior psychological issues, research indicates that it’s how popular we were in our early years that predicts how successful and how happy we grow up to be.

But it’s not always the conventionally popular people who fare the best, for the simple reason that there is more than one type of popularity—and many of us still long for the wrong one. As children, we strive to be likable, which can offer real benefits not only on the playground but throughout our lives. In adolescence, though, a new form of popularity emerges, and we suddenly begin to care about status, power, influence, and notoriety—research indicates that this type of popularity hurts us more than we realize.

Realistically, we can’t ignore our natural human social impulses to be included and well-regarded by others, but we can learn how to manage those impulses in beneficial and gratifying ways. Popular relies on the latest research in psychology and neuroscience to help us make the wisest choices for ourselves and for our children, so we may all pursue more meaningful, satisfying, and rewarding relationships


An impulse pick up from the Express shelf at the library because I am slightly bemused and interested in people's quest for popularity, especially in the world of social media. I am fascinated by the world of so called Social Media Influencers and what it is they actually do. How can they think they are contributing to society just by having millions of social media likes and telling us what is "Hot or Not".

Well this book did not answer that question but it did give some good insight into the difference between popularity and likability. One can be popular without people liking you. One can be popular but not contributing positively to society. 

He used some great Vignettes of real life experiences and how their "status" in school has shaped their lives to date. There was some advice about how you can change the shape of your life, but not really enough to make the changes. It was definitely a book that provoked thought and would be good to have a group discussion about (so please read it so I can discuss it with you if you are in my group of friends) but I don't think it is a life changing book.

I did not entirely agree with some of his thoughts and comments but remember that the authors schools were in America and mine were in Scotland (30 plus years ago) so there were big differences in our experiences and culture growing up.

My takeaway is to teach your child to be someone that people like rather than striving to be the most popular or having the most status. If they are likable now then they will have greater success in future.

Elevation by Stephen King

The latest from legendary master storyteller Stephen King, a riveting, extraordinarily eerie, and moving story about a man whose mysterious affliction brings a small town together—a timely, upbeat tale about finding common ground despite deep-rooted differences.

Although Scott Carey doesn’t look any different, he’s been steadily losing weight. There are a couple of other odd things, too. He weighs the same in his clothes and out of them, no matter how heavy they are. Scott doesn’t want to be poked and prodded. He mostly just wants someone else to know, and he trusts Doctor Bob Ellis.

In the small town of Castle Rock, the setting of many of King’s most iconic stories, Scott is engaged in a low grade—but escalating—battle with the lesbians next door whose dog regularly drops his business on Scott’s lawn. One of the women is friendly; the other, cold as ice. Both are trying to launch a new restaurant, but the people of Castle Rock want no part of a gay married couple, and the place is in trouble. When Scott finally understands the prejudices they face–including his own—he tries to help. Unlikely alliances, the annual foot race, and the mystery of Scott’s affliction bring out the best in people who have indulged the worst in themselves and others.




Cute little novella by Stephen King. Overall, I thought he developed the characters quite well for a short story.

The premise of the story was his usual Stephen King weirdness.

I was left unsatisfied by having no explanation of what caused the weight loss. I feel that in King books there is usually at least some explanation for the weird occurances in them, even if that explanation is not wholly believable at times, at least it is there. 

I also, was not sure of the underlying point of the story. I normally get some moral or ethical point underlying King stories but I must have missed it on this one. 

Clearly, it is worth a read if you are a Stephen King fan but I wouldn't suggest it to anyone not familiar with his work (if anyone still exists).

The Third Wife - Lisa Jewell

In the early hours of a summer morning, a young woman steps into the path of an oncoming bus. A tragic accident? Or suicide?

At the center of this puzzle is Adrian Wolfe, a successful architect and grief-stricken widower, who, a year after his third wife’s death, begins to investigate the cause. As Adrian looks back on their brief but seemingly happy marriage, disturbing secrets begin to surface. The divorces from his two previous wives had been amicable, or so it seemed; his children, all five of them, were resilient as ever, or so he thought. But something, or someone, must have pushed Maya over the edge…



I was excited to start this book by an author that I really like.  It started well telling the story of Adrian and his mixed bag of family from 3 wives.  It focused on his current situation and the story leading up to the suspicious death of his 3rd wife.

I wasn't enamoured with the central character, Adrian, and didn't get the attraction all these women felt for him nor the loyalty they all still had for him.  The paths of suspicion that the author tried to lead us down were quite interesting, but the most interesting ones were just red herrings to plump out the story a bit.

I was not satisfied with the explanation of Maya's death as many aspects of the story just did not add up.

Don't let my review put you off this author as a whole, just pick a different one of her books to read. 2 out of 5.