Comments on: You’re Gonna Be Popular

By: Darrell H.

Darrell H. — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 17:41:10 +0000

Kerry, what a treasure trove of practical and theoretical experience you are! Add to that the talent of delivering that wisdom in compelling stories.

Thanks for another gem!

By: Grant Mitchell

Grant Mitchell — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 00:01:50 +0000

I may not be quite the same generation as Kerry but I can relate to much of what he describes when reflecting upon his younger years. Great for a knowing laugh and only wish I had the insights then which I have now (thanks to the VitalSmarts team).

By: JMGay

JMGay — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 19:33:58 +0000

A disturbing component of social conformity is that which apparently occurs when the person conforms to their peer group because their peer group causes a subconscious shift in their perception rather than because they made a conscious decision to go against their own judgement and conform.
A recent paper on this phenomenon is “Social conformity is due to biased stimulus processing: electrophysiological and diffusion analyses” doi: 10.1093/scan/nsw050
One could speculate that conforming to the tribe’s perception even when it was wrong was more important to our ancestors’ individual survival than was being right and prevailing when not in tribal leadership.

By: Marian Henry

Marian Henry — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 18:24:26 +0000

I enjoyed reading of your experience, despite some twinges at memories of my own quest to fit in. You made some excellent points.

By: David

David — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 14:33:45 +0000

I found your article so true. When I was in middle school I was one of the kids who people wanted to be like. That all changed when I got to high school. I was sent across town where none of my peers attended. I found myself lost in a sea of unknown trying hard to find an identity.

By: Brenda

Brenda — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 14:23:16 +0000

“the road to cool—which eventually flowed into the narrow path of popularity, that sat a half-block to the left of nirvana, and two doors down from Valhalla.” Love this sentence – it made me chuckle

By: Evan Rivers

Evan Rivers — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 14:18:15 +0000

Very thoughtful and helpful. The urge to assert our independence and individuality is often good, but sometimes also destructive.
Both writer (you) and reader (me) are showing our age, however, in this delightful read, The students I face on a daily basis today would wonder what you meant by “nerds who run the movie projector.” Do schools still have “movie projectors”?