A study by University of Alberta in the Journal of Sport Behavior has come out and linked lack of skill in sport to loneliness in children. Or is it vice versa?
Some details:
In grade school, children’s loneliness may reflect their skill - or lack thereof - on the playing field. If you were the king of the kickball field - or the last to be picked for a playground team - in elementary school, you may find their findings familiar.
The study included 99 boys and 109 girls in grades 4-6 in seven western Canadian elementary schools. In surveys, the students rated their athletic skill and the athletic skills of their classmates.
They also rated their loneliness by noting how much they agreed or disagreed with statements such as “I feel lonely at school,” and “I have lots of friends in my class.”
The most popular kids rated their athletic skills highly, and so did their peers. The loneliest children didn’t consider themselves athletic - and their classmates agreed. [LINK TO STORY]
Wow, this study is dead on! I can totally relate! When I was eight-years-old, I used to kick the shit of the ball and my peers used to tackle me to be my friend. It was actually annoying, so I used to punch them, which got me the hottest chick in middle school….you know the one that turned into the trashy slut, with the stained jeans that now works at 7-11. I was later elected high school class president after I peed on a basketball, picked it up, and dunked on a disabled kid. Damn I was cool!
