A recent study led by researchers at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and Mykolas Romeris University in Lithuania has examined how different types of peers influence adolescent behavior. The research, published in Development and Psychopathology, followed 543 students aged 10 to 14 over a semester. Participants reported on academic performance, emotional well-being, problem behaviors, social media use, and concerns about weight. They also identified their best friends and the classmates they considered popular.
The study found that best friends primarily affect internal aspects of adolescents’ lives, such as emotional state and academic behavior. In contrast, popular peers have more influence over outward-facing behaviors like social media activity and body image concerns.
"Peer influence is too often treated as a broad, undifferentiated force, but our findings show it is actually highly specialized. Adolescents are discerning; they look to their inner circle for emotional support and to the influencers and class leaders for social cues on how to present themselves to the world," said Mary Page Leggett-James, Ph.D., lead author and associate researcher at Gallup. "Put differently, in the social economy of a middle schooler, best friends deal in the 'private currency' of emotions and adjustment, while popular peers control the 'public market' of social media and appearance."
The research indicates that friendships are based on reciprocity and intimacy, leading to shared experiences and emotions. Peer groups are organized hierarchically, with conformity through public behaviors being important for maintaining status.
"Friendships are powerful because they are private and emotionally intense," said Brett Laursen of FAU. "Teens confide in their best friends. That closeness can provide support, but it can also amplify struggles. Anxiety, disengagement from school, or acting out can spread between friends and have a snowball effect. Appearance and online behavior play out on a public stage. Popular students set the standard. Others follow because that is what earns approval in the wider peer group."
The findings suggest that interventions aimed at reducing maladjustment among adolescents need to be tailored according to the source of peer influence.
"Peer influence is powerful, but it is not one-size-fits-all," said Leggett-James. "Too often we treat peer pressure as if it comes from one place. But the source of influence matters. If we target the wrong peer dynamic, we risk missing the problem entirely. To reduce emotional distress or academic problems, we need to focus on friendship dynamics and help adolescents build positive peer connections – not try to ban or break up friendships. At the same time, issues tied to social media and body image require shifting status norms. When popular students display healthier, more realistic standards, they can redefine what classmates consider normal."
Other contributors include René Veenstra from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and Goda Kaniušonytė from Mykolas Romeris University.
The project received funding from both European Social Fund grants administered by Lithuania’s Research Council as well as state-funded initiatives supporting Centers of Excellence at Mykolas Romeris University.
