Does IQ make you more popular with your peers?
Not in any simple way. There is less direct research than you might expect, and social understanding and behaviour seem to matter a great deal.
Children
A large 1993 review by Newcomb, Bukowski and Pattee compared popular, rejected and other groups of children. Children rejected by peers tended to show more aggression or withdrawal, and lower sociability and cognitive ability. Popular children showed a mix of strengths, not just one.
Understanding other people
A 2015 meta-analysis of 20 studies and 2,096 children linked popularity with theory of mind, the ability to understand what others think and feel. The link was small, at r = .19. Theory of mind is not the same thing as IQ.
Teenagers
A Dutch study of secondary school students found that social intelligence predicted how popular teens were seen to be. Academic achievement helped being liked mainly among those with low social intelligence. Being liked and having high status are also treated by researchers as different things.
Young adults
A study by Li and Kanazawa of over 15,000 people aged 18 to 28 found that more intelligent people reported lower life satisfaction with more frequent socialising with friends. This is one correlational study with a debated explanation. It does not show that people who socialise less are smarter.
What this means for you
A test score does not decide who your friends are. If you are worried about loneliness or how you get along with others, talking with someone you trust or a counsellor will help more than any test.
Sources
- Newcomb, Bukowski & Pattee (1993), Children’s peer relations: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin
- Slaughter et al. (2015), Meta-analysis of theory of mind and peer popularity in the preschool and early school years. Child Development
- Meijs et al. (2010), Social intelligence and academic achievement as predictors of adolescent popularity. Journal of Youth and Adolescence
- Li & Kanazawa (2016), Country roads, take me home… to my friends. British Journal of Psychology
Last checked: 2026-11-03
A summary of published research, not medical, career or psychological advice. A correlation describes groups, not any one person. This text has not yet been reviewed by a psychologist.