Overview

• A survey of nearly 6,000 participants in 12 countries found extraversion, adventure-seeking, hedonism, openness, autonomy and power orientation to be the core markers of perceived coolness.
• Using the Big-Five personality model and the Portrait Values Questionnaire, researchers showed that coolness traits diverge from moral goodness markers like conformity, security and universalism.
• Perceptions of coolness remained strikingly consistent across regions, ages, genders and education levels, with only minor cultural variations.
• The study ties modern definitions of coolness to mid-20th-century subcultures such as Black jazz musicians and Beatniks, underscoring its role in rewarding norm challengers and innovators.
• Authors note that reliance on online surveys may underrepresent rural or low-connectivity populations and call for more inclusive sampling in future research.