[dr2005]

Depends how you define "easier", really. If you mean "the best way to keep stress levels down while studying", then probably yes - as others have said, high school relationships can bring with them all kinds of unforeseen and unpleasant drama, so in some ways you can end up being better off out of the whole damn thing. If you mean "the best way to fit in and be happy", then possibly not. It's a bit of a "damned either way" in some respects, as if you come across as being disinterested in all those things then it can result in you being isolated by some of your peers (not for any good reason necessarily, just because you're 'different'). It can also mean you miss out on certain experiences at the time your peers are going through them, which can affect self-esteem at times. And for all the negatives associated with high school relationships, there are positives too. If there weren't, no one would bother with them (hormones or not).

I think the key question is, what is best for your happiness during your time at high school? Bearing in mind it's stressful enough as it is, you want to prioritise being content in your own mind so that you do the best you can at it. If being in the dating scene contributes to that, then by all means pursue it. If not, don't.