Cool is Cool Everywhere in the World
Are you cool... or just a very nice person?
What do James Dean, your effortlessly charismatic friend, and that one person who somehow looks good in sunglasses indoors all have in common? Simple: They’re cool. But what is coolness? How does it differ from goodness? And how is it seen across cultures?
To answer these questions, a team of researchers surveyed nearly 6,000 people across 13 countries about their perceptions of coolness vs. goodness. They found that while cool people and good people share plenty of traits, they also differ in important ways. Cool people are seen as more extraverted, hedonistic, powerful, and adventurous. Good people, in contrast, are seen as more conforming, traditional, warm, and agreeable. Interestingly, these perceptions were found in every country surveyed.
The graph below maps out which traits the world links more with coolness vs. goodness - so scroll down to find out if you’re actually cool… or just really nice.
You can find the paper here or access a free copy here.
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The Radicalization of Young Women
Does Intelligence Protect Against Mental Illness?
Is Romantic Love a Western Invention?
Sexual Assault as a Crime Against the Young
Top 10 Friedrich Nietzsche Quotes
Cognitive Chicanery: Four Ways We Dodge Facts That Offend Us
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Steve
While not entirely the same, cool vs warm seems thematically similar to warmth and competence in the stereotype content model. So much so that I wonder if “cool” and “good” in this paper could be substituted with “warm” and “competent” and the results would be the same if the subjects were surveyed again.
The fact that cool is cool everywhere in the world reinforces this, since warmth and competence are judged to be fundamental aspects of humans evaluate other humans.
This is very relevant to my investigations into the characteristics and framing of a "nice guy" vs. a "bad boy." Thanks for sharing.