A recent study concluded that there was a direct link between teenage girls' weight and their level of popularity among peers. Researchers said that girls who considered themselves unpopular were more likely to experience weight gain, compared to those who considered themselves higher on the popularity scale.

The results were taken from an experiment involving 4,000 girls, with an average age of 15-years-old. After observing the subjects for two years, scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health discovered that those who considered themselves unpopular gained more weight during the course of the experiment.

Statistics of the study specifically showed that girls who felt unpopular were 69 percent more likely to increase their Body Mass Index by two units, compared to those who felt popular. An increase of that much in a person' BMI would be almost the equivalent of eleven excess pounds, according to the AP.

The findings of the study were related to the premise of depression and low self-esteem being factors that contribute to the growing obesity problem in today's adolescents.

"How girls feel about themselves should be part of all obesity prevention strategies," said Adina Lemeshow, lead author.

The same link between weight and self-perception was obtained, the scientists said, despite the subjects' diet, household income, race, or age.

Experts gave acknowledgement to the study and its significance, highlighting the importance of giving attention to the actual effects of social perception.

"The reason this paper is so important is it has broader implications beyond weight gain," noted Clea McNeely of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in an editorial she wrote "Subjective social status is not just an uncomfortable experience you grow out of, but can have important health consequences."

The findings of the experiment were published in the current issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, according to Boston's White Coats Notes.