Child's Popularity May Rely on Understanding Others | WPN World People News

Children who are tuned in to what others want, think and feel are more popular in school than those who aren't as good at understanding others, a new review indicates.

The study suggests that understanding others' mental perspectives may facilitate the kind of interactions that help children become or remain popular.

For the report researchers analyzed 20 studies that included nearly 2,100 children aged 2 to 10 in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America.

The strength of the link between being able to figure out what others think and feel and popularity was similar for preschoolers and older children. This suggests that this ability is important for making friends at an early age and maintaining friendships as children get older, expert said.

"Our findings suggest that training children to be sensitive to others' thoughts and feelings may improve their relationships with peers," expert said. "This may be particularly important for children who are struggling with friendship issues, such as children who are socially isolated."

The researchers also found that this link was weaker among boys than girls, which may reflect gender differences in how children relate to one another. Girls' friendships often feature higher levels of closeness and conflict resolution, which may mean they need to be better at understanding others' thoughts and feelings, the investigators said.

Source: HealthDay News