Proof That Striving To Be Cool In High School Is A Big Waste of Time

As it turns out, being “cool” can be pretty bad for your health. According to a new study, students who are popular in high school are more likely to develop serious emotional problems later in life. The pseudo-mature behavior that once attracted other students eventually translates to incompetence as teens enter adulthood and realize that there’s more to life than smoking behind the bleachers and fraternizing with “plastics.” If scientific studies aren’t enough to convince you that popularity is not indicative of future success, then take a look at these celebrity ex-nerds.

Jennifer Garner

Before she was wooing Batman and warming our hearts, Jennifer Garner was playing the saxophone in her high school music class. Touting a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, mini-Garner was constantly pegged a “dork,” a title which she didn’t necessarily mind. In her own words” If you’d asked me what I wanted to be [as a teen], I would have said something like librarian.”

Nicolas Cage

Say what you will about Nick Cage, but he’s an out-and-proud nerd, and there’s something very admirable about someone who embraces their own geekiness. The actor, who used to collect comic books in high school, has a soft spot for superheroes, as evidenced by the name of his child (Kal-El, Superman’s original name) and his own last name (the fake surname “Cage” was borrowed from the Power Man comic series).

Megan Fox

On the outside, Megan Fox may be a stunningly gorgeous Hollywood actress but on the inside, she’s a hardcore Lord of the Rings fan-girl. The star, who was bullied throughout high school for her acting aspirations, has admitted to stalking LOTR online forums and debating the accuracy of Peter Jackson’s film series with other Tolkien admirers.

Adam Levine

Nowadays, an encounter with Adam Levine might leave a teenage girl (or even a grown woman) utterly speechless, but that hasn’t always been the case. Levine’s description of his high school self (“I had disgusting long hair and shorts down to my knees..I desperately wanted to be Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam”) leads me to believe he was one of those hippie bank geeks who only talked about the meaning of life and his band. Looking at him now, though, I’m thinking that might just be the key to success.

Rashida Jones

Actress is not the only thing on Rashida Jones’s resume. The Parks and Rec star is a Harvard graduate, a mathlete, and a proud bookworm. Instead of drinking and smoking in high school, Jones preferred to spend her time in the student government office or studying. According to her: “I came out of the womb reading books and thinking about my next project. I’m a born nerd.”

Tina Fey

Anyone who has read Bossypants or watched 30 Rock or seen a picture of young Tina Fey knows that the comedienne was not exactly the coolest girl in school. The actress graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA and attended the University of Virginia on a full scholarship before charming the world with her Palin impressions and her perfect wit.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Try being nerdy instead. Not only are there less health risks involved, but you could end up marrying Ben Affleck or writing for SNL someday. That should be incentive enough.

Featured image via Tumblr.