Glasgow smiles better ...

Glasgow, you would think, would be the last place a young aspirational teen would want to grow up. That, however, is far from the case – Glasgow teens, it turns out, are the happiest kids in the country. New research has found that teenagers in Glasgow are more likely to describe themselves as being happy, confident and never left out compared with children in the rest of Scotland.

For one group of pupils at St Andrew's Secondary School in Glasgow's east end, growing up in Scotland's biggest city is a far cry from inner-city misery – in fact, they appear grounded, polite, content and seem to be having a great time just being young.

"There is always something happening," says Christopher Cummiskey, 17. "I think there is a negative stereotype of Glasgow, but that is really a small minority of folk. I think the majority of people are happy living in Glasgow."

The new study aimed to investigate the impact of the so-called "Glasgow effect" on adolescent mental health. In recent years it has been suggested there is an unexplained factor which means residents of the city are more likely to suffer poorer health than the rest of Scotland – even after accounting for issues such as deprivation.

Study author Katy Levin, of the Child and Adolescent Health Research Unit at St Andrews University, said the high levels of happiness identified among Glasgow pupils was a "complete anomaly" from the usual negative findings about the health of the city. Like the negative impact of the "Glasgow effect" no-one is able to explain why the city makes kids so happy.

"The pupils in Glasgow are not the only ones to be happy, but they are more likely to be very happy," she said. "They are also almost twice as likely to never feel left out in Glasgow. That is a really striking statistic."

The study, funded by NHS Health Scotland and published in the journal Public Health, examined data on 11 to 15-year-old pupils taken from a national survey into young people's health and wellbeing, which is carried out every four years.

It found children in Glasgow were around 50% more likely to report feeling very happy and always confident, compared to pupils in the rest of the country.

The paper concluded: "The Glasgow effect may not be all bad. The findings suggest that mental well-being is more prevalent in Glasgow compared with the rest of Scotland during adolescence."

Levin said she believed community aspects in Glasgow could be influencing how included children feel in everyday life.

"My own personal view is that it is to do with social interaction," she said. "People talk about incidental physical activity – taking exercise almost by accident, such as walking upstairs at work. I think there is something in Glasgow with social interaction which is a bit like that, in that you can't walk the length of Dumbarton Road without someone talking to you."

She added: "Certainly during adolescence, right from the age of 11, you can see a positive Glasgow effect on happiness and confidence and never feeling left out. It is definitely still there at 15." However, she said it was not clear when the situation might change as similar research had not yet been carried out for older age groups.

There is little denying Glasgow does have its share of problems for teenagers, such as knife crime and a long-running gang culture.

But the pupils at St Andrew's are keen to point out this is not the case for every youngster. Dana McManus, 15, says: "Not everyone is like that, a lot of people are different. But they get included in what everyone's perceptions are of young people."

Jonathan Kankolongo and Reece Delaney, both 15, enjoy playing football and say there is ample opportunity to play the sport in the city, while Jenny Thomas, 18, who moved to Glasgow from Muscat, Oman, four years ago, says: "I think there's lots more opportunities for people to go out and enjoy themselves and more freedom."

Meanwhile, Joanne Baillie, 17, who previously lived in South Lanarkshire, believes that Glasgow has more to offer than the countryside where, with inimitable teen style, she declares there is "not much happening".

Psychologist Dr Cynthia McVey pointed out Glasgow did have more of a reputation for friendliness than its counterpart in the east.

"Edinburgh is obviously the place to be in the sense of if you are interested in the arts and culture, but they may feel in Glasgow that anything goes, there is a wider range of activity that makes them more comfortable," she said.

"Adolescence is a stage which is traditionally full of angst and it can be very trying for adolescents.

"But if you take it across the board and assume all adolescents will be feeling this, there may be some features of living in Glasgow that makes them a little bit happier. There is lots to do – parks, theatres, cinema, clubs and cafes and so on.

"They won't yet be worrying about jobs, but they might be a little bit hopeful that they will get a job because they live in a big city and they can see there is lots of activity around them."

Jack Green, who has just turned 16, is a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, representing Glasgow Anniesland. He said community spirit was still evident in the areas his constituency covers, which ranges from deprived communities such as Drumchapel to more affluent areas such as Jordanhill.

"Glasgow is a very good place to live," he said. "It is a very friendly city, although some areas are obviously more friendly than others.

"There are lots of activities for young people to do and it has got fantastic sports facilities. There is always something to do if someone looks for it."