From Chile to China, cultures vary greatly around the globe, but people in at least a dozen countries agree about what it means to be cool, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
The researchers conducted experiments with almost 6,000 participants from countries around the world and found that cool people have surprisingly similar personalities. Even though Eastern and Western cultures often differ in many cultural attitudes, cool people were universally perceived to be more extraverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open and autonomous.
"Everyone wants to be cool, or at least avoid the stigma of being uncool, and society needs cool people because they challenge norms, inspire change, and advance culture," said co-lead researcher Todd Pezzuti, PhD, an associate professor of marketing at the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Chile.
The research was published online in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
The study included experiments from 2018 to 2022 in the United States, Australia, Chile, China (mainland and Hong Kong), Germany, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Spain, South Africa, South Korea and Turkey. The participants were asked to think of someone who they thought was cool, not cool, good or not good. They then rated the person's personality and values. The researchers used the data to explore how cool people differ from uncool people and good people.
Good people were perceived as more conforming, traditional, secure, warm, agreeable, universalistic, conscientious and calm. Cool people and good people aren't the same, but there are some overlapping traits, said co-lead researcher Caleb Warren, PhD, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Arizona.
"To be seen as cool, someone usually needs to be somewhat likable or admirable, which makes them similar to good people," Warren said. "However, cool people often have other traits that aren't necessarily considered 'good' in a moral sense, like being hedonistic and powerful."
As the reach of the fashion, music and film industries grows worldwide, the meaning of cool "has crystallized on a similar set of values and traits around the globe" and has become "more commercially friendly," the journal article stated.
Does that mean coolness has lost its edge if Apple or Marvel movies are telling us what it means to be cool?
"Coolness has definitely evolved over time, but I don't think it has lost its edge. It's just become more functional," Pezzuti said. "The concept of coolness started in small, rebellious sub-cultures, including Black jazz musicians in the 1940s and the beatniks in the 1950s. As society moves faster and puts more value on creativity and change, cool people are more essential than ever."
Only participants who were familiar with the slang meaning of the word "cool" were included in the study. Most of the experiments were conducted online so the findings may not be generalizable to rural areas without internet access.
Article: " Cool People ," Todd Pezzuti, PhD, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Caleb Warren, PhD, University of Arizona, and Jinjie Chen, PhD, University of Georgia; Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, published online June 30, 2025.
