“Sit with the topper and you will become smart too.” For generations, parents have repeated some version of this advice to children. The assumption is simple: spend enough time around the student who gets the highest marks, and some of that intelligence, discipline or academic success will eventually rub off.
Psychology suggests there is some truth hidden inside this belief: but not quite in the way parents imagine. A child does not become academically stronger merely by occupying the same bench as a high-performing student. What matters is the social interaction, behavior, motivation and learning environment that can develop around that relationship.
