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1) Befriend the “right” people. Whitney explained, “To be popular, you have to make the right friends early because it’s so hard to transition friends. The game is basically do whatever it takes, deal with the bullshit and pain, and in the end you’ll feel like it was all worth it when you’re popular.”

2) Do what the popular kids do. “I followed a role model. When I was in eighth grade, she was a senior and the most popular girl in school. I joined all of the clubs and sports she did. I tried to live my high school years like she did.”

3) Conform. “To remain popular, you have to lose all your individuality. Individuals are ‘weird’ in high school. Every clique has a leader. Your job is to do everything the leader wants. I know from being a past leader that we thrive [on] worshipping. It makes our egos huge and [makes us] feel like we own the other people in the group. Don’t disagree with the leader, don’t reprimand them, and just do what they want. And do not, by any means, do something to make them mad.”

4) Sacrifice. “In cliques, it’s all about sucking up to the selfish people. I volunteer to be the driver because when I’m not the driver, I’m usually forgotten about. If you don’t put yourself out there to the queen bee, you won’t go anywhere unless she has a reason to take you. You need to be willing to sacrifice a lot to fit in and be accepted.”

At the time, Whitney was blinded by the superficial perks of popularity. She couldn’t see that each of the aspects of her social life that made her unhappy—distancing from Luke, being prohibited from befriending punks, wearing clothes that reflected her clique instead of herself—corresponded to the rules she insisted were worth following in order to be popular.

But were they?

In the 1990s, UCLA scientists conducted a fascinating experiment on twelve groups of vervet monkeys. They removed the alpha males from each group and randomly selected one of the two remaining subordinate males to inject with a drug that would increase the activity of serotonin in his brain. In every case, that monkey changed his behavior and rose in social status to become the dominant male in the group. Separately, other researchers observed that in natural settings, rhesus monkeys with high levels of serotonin were more likely to participate in grooming with peers and lived closer to a larger number of other monkeys. In short, the monkeys with the most serotonin activity became popular.

Based on the results of these studies, psychopharmacologists decided to test a similar hypothesis on humans. Teams of researchers administered to volunteers a drug to increase serotonin levels, then monitored them during a puzzle-based task with a partner. The treated individuals demonstrated an increase in “socially affiliative” behaviors, such as dominant eye contact and clear communication. more recent studies have also reported that administration of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) “can modify social status.” In 2009, Michigan State University professor S. Alexandra Burt discovered that a region of a particular gene was associated with popularity ratings of teenage boys (in experimental settings), leading her to conclude that genetics may play a part in popularity, at least when it comes to the serotonin link.

The directions and findings of these experiments might lead a layperson to wonder whether scientists theoretically will have the capability to develop a popularity drug. But the more important questions are: If they do, would you take it? Would you give it to your kids?

It may be difficult to perceive all of the downsides of popularity when you are in the midst of it, but they can be pervasive, overpowering, and downright dangerous. According to a team of psychologists in Los Angeles, “popularity can incorporate notable risks for development. For example, popular youths tend to experience increases in relational and overt aggression over time.” Several researchers report that students who are popular and involved in either form of aggression are less likely to do well in school.