A new study published in The Journal of Experimental Psychology: General finds that people seen as "cool" tend to share six key personality traits: they are extroverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open to new experiences and autonomous.
To explore which values and personality traits are associated with being cool, whether these traits also overlap with being a good person, and whether they vary across cultures, researchers surveyed 5,943 participants from the United States, Australia, Chile, China (Mainland and Hong Kong), Germany, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Spain, South Africa, South Korea and Turkey. Participants were asked to think of someone they considered cool, not cool, good, or not good, and then rate that person’s personality and values.
Despite differences in language, culture and belief systems, the traits associated with coolness were remarkably consistent across all countries—from India to China to the United States. This suggests that the concept of "cool" has taken on a shared meaning globally. These traits held steady regardless of the respondent’s age, gender or level of education.
The study also found that while cool and good people share some characteristics, they are not seen as the same. As the researchers note, "Cool people often have traits that are not necessarily considered ‘good’ in a moral sense, such as being hedonistic or powerful. In contrast, good people are more likely to be seen as conforming, traditional, secure, warm, agreeable, conscientious, calm and universalistic."
Being capable was the only trait equally linked to both coolness and goodness.
“Our work reveals that as the word of cool has spread, its meaning has crystallised on similar values and traits across the globe,” the authors concluded.
