What does being cool really mean? The authors of the international study show that the answer is surprisingly uniform around the world. According to their research, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, people considered cool have six very similar personality traits regardless of the cultural environment in which they live.
The study is based on psychological experiments conducted between 2018 and 2022 involving approximately six thousand adult respondents from thirteen countries. Specifically, it was the United States of America, Australia, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Germany, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Spain, South Africa, South Korea and Turkey.
The research participants had a task recall a person they consider cool, uncool, good or bad, and then evaluate their personality traits and values. Based on this data, the researchers then compared what makes cool people different from those who are perceived as uncool or simply good.
“Everyone wants to be cool, or at least avoid the stigma of not being cool, and society needs cool people because they challenge norms, inspire change and move culture forward. The concept of cool originated in small, rebellious subcultures, including African-American jazz musicians in the 1940s and beatniks in the 1950s. As society accelerates and puts more emphasis on creativity and change, cool people are more important than ever.” said Dr. Todde Pezzuti from the Adolfo Ibáñez University in Santiago de Chile.
According to the findings, they are cool people generally considered to be more extroverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open and autonomous individuals.
On the contrary, according to the respondents, people described as good are rather conformist, traditional, focused on security, warm, friendly, universalistic, conscientious and calm. The authors point out that although some features may overlap, being cool does not automatically mean being good in the moral sense of the word. “The definition of cool definitely evolves over time, but I don’t think it’s lost its edge. It’s just become more functional.” explains Pezzuti.
