The current study aimed to examine how mediated portrayals of popularity relate to adolescents’ well-being. We hypothesized that exposure to malleability messages in entertainment television and magazines related to a higher belief in the malleability of popularity, which was, in turn, believed to relate to a duality of well-being outcomes. On the one hand, such malleability beliefs might be beneficial to adolescents’ self-esteem. On the other hand, adolescents presumably experience increased feelings of pressure to be popular. The results of a survey study among 881 adolescents (M = 17.08) revealed that adolescents who are frequently exposed to malleability messages about popularity have a firmer belief in the malleability of their own popularity status, which, in its turn, positively relates to self-esteem and popularity pressure. Malleability messages might thus provide adolescents with confidence, but simultaneously induce feelings of pressure because they can, and therefore must, become popular.

目前的研究旨在检验受欢迎程度的介导描述与青少年幸福感之间的关系。我们假设，在娱乐电视和杂志中接触延展性信息与对流行的延展性的更高信念有关，而这反过来又被认为与幸福结果的二元性有关。一方面，这种可塑性信念可能有利于青少年的自尊。另一方面，青少年可能会感受到越来越受欢迎的压力感。一项针对 881 名青少年的调查研究结果（M = 17.08）表明，经常接触到关于受欢迎程度的延展性信息的青少年对自己受欢迎程度的延展性有更坚定的信念，而这反过来又与自尊和受欢迎程度压力正相关。因此，可塑性信息可能会为青少年提供信心，但同时会引起压力感，因为它们可以并且因此必须变得流行。