Why do people in highschool try so hard to be popular?

Somewhere during the last year, I had an experience and I could see through the whole thing. I realized it doesnt matter where you stand in the popular group or anything. The 'popular guys' are mostly a.ssholes,jerks, and bullies. So why do so many people want to be popular? Ive kind of made my own reputation, Im neither popular nor unpopular, I feel free. I hang out with mostly unpopular people because I dont like hanging around jerks. And I have seen unpopular people try and bully me, and I just look at them and tell them its not them, to knock it off. Oh I forgot to mention, people have tried to bully me, it doesnt go well for them. Im not talking about violence, I just have a way of making them look like real jerks. But it still intrigues me how people want to be like those jerks. Can anyone help me? Whenever I have mentioned popular and unpopular people, I really could care less. But I still have to mKe the distinction so the question makes sense.