Correlates of Social Status among Chinese Adolescents

Abstract

In previous U.S. research, adolescents' social status was found to reflect physical traits but not intelligence. Therefore, a culture in which schoolwork is emphasized, China, was studied using a similar method. A total of 111 Beijing students were ranked by 300 classmates on various measures of social status and their correlates. In China, social status was correlated mainly with intelligence but also with physical attractiveness. Chinese boys' social rank also depended on expected future earning power, as in the United States, and on masculinity, but depended less on athletic ability. For Chinese and U.S. girls, rank was also associated with cheerfulness and femininity. The results suggest that culturally imposed values may interact with the possibly evolved appeal of certain traits, especially physical ones, to constitute the criteria for social success in a given culture. The results are discussed in light of evolutionary considerations.