Hollywood's fascination with "mean girls" and its repeated portrayal of teen girls' friendships as catty and cruel belies the benefits of real-world friendships, according to two UC Davis sociologists who say teens with close female friends are less likely to commit crimes.

"Media attention on 'mean girls' may go too far, ignoring that girls have many positive effects through their relationships," said sociologist Bill McCarthy.

McCarthy, his sociologist colleague Diane Felmlee of UC Davis, and John Hagan, a colleague at Northwestern University, studied teens living at home and attending high school, and homeless teens who did not go to school. Researchers asked teenagers of both sexes to describe their friends and their involvement in property crimes such as shoplifting.

Having female friends was associated with reduced criminal activity for both boys and girls who lived at home. Homeless girls were also less likely to engage in crime if they had close girl friends. But the pattern did not hold for homeless boys.

"It's hard to get data on the homeless, and it was surprising that we could predict anything at all for them," Felmlee said.

McCarthy noted: "There are many things about the environment of homelessness that increase the likelihood that people will turn to crime. For example, most young people on the streets do not have a legal income. To see something limiting crime was surprising."

Teresa Casey, a graduate student working with the researchers, is building on their investigation to find out whether romantic relationships have similar crime-preventing benefits for young people.