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Do you ever look at someone and think they’re “really cool?” There’s new research that suggests there’s a science behind that feeling.
A new study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology was done through experiments with close to 6,000 people.
Dr. Elspeth Ritchie, chair of psychiatry at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, said it was interesting that the traits that make someone “cool” were seen around the globe.
“They find the same traits are associated with being cool in all the cultures that they looked at,” she said. “It shows common characteristics, as they say, from Singapore, Sydney to San Francisco, all have similar creative techniques.”
And because it was a worldwide study, the fact they found similar results everywhere they conducted the experiments, they said it suggests that “the meaning of cool has crystallized on a similar set of values and traits around the globe.”
What are the six traits that make you seem ‘cool?’
“Being extroverted, which basically means that you’re interested in other people, you talk with other people, you approach them. Hedonistic, which means your interest in pleasure, and that’s often pleasure for yourself. Being powerful … adventurous, open and autonomous, and that means basically, being able to do things on your own,” Ritchie said.
The study said that these are things that you’re either born with or not. Ritchie said she thinks it’s a mix.
“With everything, it’s a mixture of nature and nurture,” she said. “One of the things, I think, that is going on now is that the world in general is being influenced by influencers or culture or movies, as it’s done for a while. So people are also learning from the other sources.”
The researchers also made a distinction that just because someone has the traits that make them appear “cool,” that doesn’t mean that they are seen as “good” people.
“They’re slightly different traits and so the good people are more likely to be conforming and show warmth and compassion, and that’s all good as well,” Ritchie said. “They’re good people, but the two together would be very big, powerful combination.”
The researchers said that the study was completed to “advance a theory of the role that coolness plays in establishing social hierarchies and changing social and cultural practices and norms.”
