What makes someone ‘cool’? Study finds six traits that transcend age, gender, and culture

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If you've ever wondered what it takes to be considered “cool,” science now has an answer — and it seems to apply across the world.

A global study published under the title “Cool People” in the Journal of Experimental Psychology identified six personality traits that define a “cool” person, regardless of nationality, age, or gender. Researchers surveyed 5,943 participants in 12 countries, including Korea, the United States, China, Germany, Mexico, Nigeria, and more.

Participants were asked to reflect on what makes a person “cool” and what makes someone “good,” and then rated both types of individuals using personality and value-based assessment tools. Only people who already understood the meaning of the term “cool” were included in the analysis.

The study found that people widely associate coolness with the following six traits: extroversion, hedonism, power, adventurousness, openness and autonomy.

These traits appeared consistently, regardless of the participants’ country, age, gender, or education level, suggesting that coolness has become a kind of global language of personality.

In contrast, people described as “good” were associated with qualities like calmness, kindness, warmth, tradition, and safety. While competence was often seen as overlapping with both good and cool individuals, being cool does not necessarily mean being moral or kind.

Professor Todd Pezutti of Adolfo Ibáñez University, who led the study, said these traits are likely part of personality and not easily taught, adding that while cool people are somewhat likable, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are morally good.

Columbia University psychology professor Jon Freeman, a co-author of the study, noted that cool can have both positive and negative connotations. He said that while coolness may be a valuable quality in everyday life, it could be seen as negative in certain social or cultural contexts.

As for whether people in more traditional societies would consider these six traits “cool,” the researchers expressed skepticism. However, the study emphasizes that modern definitions of coolness may be shaped by global media and social change.

This article from the Kormedi.com, Korea’s top healthcare and medical portal, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.