Overview

• The study collected data from nearly 6,000 participants between 2018 and 2022 across 12 English-familiar countries to assess perceptions of coolness.
• Participants rated individuals they deemed cool, uncool, good or not good across 15 personality attributes to isolate the unique markers of coolness.
• Researchers identified extraversion, hedonism, power, adventurousness, openness and autonomy as the six universal traits of cool individuals.
• They trace the roots of modern coolness to 1940s Black jazz and 1950s beatnik subcultures that spread globally via Western media.
• The study’s reliance on English-speaking, internet-connected samples highlights the need to explore perceptions of coolness in non-English and offline populations.