Popular: The Power of Likability in a Status-Obsessed World by Mitch Prinstein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Book supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.
Mitch Prinstein’s Popular is an interesting read. It addresses all aspects of popularity – why it’s important, how it evolved, and where it can lead. I did enjoy it, and many of his conclusions are thought provoking, but at times it did feel like he was shoe-horning populism into unrelated areas. Many of the sections are driven by anecdotes, some he acknowledges are made up, and many of the others I would assume are too. My big complaint is that he starts by saying there’s five type of people (accepted, rejected, etc.), then this varies throughout the book depending on the area being discussed, and this can be affected by parents and friends. I couldn’t help thinking that some people are just unlikable – whether they’re just rude, selfish, or maybe bad hygiene, and they may deserve to be unpopular based upon their choices. Still, some interesting points, so a solid 4*.