Granted, if a student is popular, high school can be the most exciting years of his life, but popularity also decimates his personal character. In order to be popular a person will create a facade to please his peers. He will imbibe alcohol in order to be socially acceptable, even if he dislikes it. It doesn't just stop at alcohol either, that is simply a stepping stone that leads to more hazardous stupefying agents such as drugs. Popularity can also lead to promiscuous sex, which can cause sexually transmitted diseases. Yes, it is nice to be liked and if a person can accomplish that without hurting his own personal character and at the same time stay within the confines of morality, it would be fine. That would be nice, would it not; too bad reality doesn't work that way. Time and again people are lowering their standards to please others simply for personal gain. With these facts it is easy to see that popularity has a negative effect on a person's character.
Furthermore, people will take advantage of a person if he is popular. If he owns the most formidable material items (clothes, cars, jewelry, etc…) people will be drawn to him simply because of what he has. It is then hard to tell which friends are indeed authentic and which friends are simply