What makes us “cool” would be universal
Independence, confidence, boldness: in Western countries, these words evoke a person who "blazes their own trail"—a cool person. What if, as a new study suggests, the criteria for being cool aren't specific to a culture or location, but universal? The British newspaper "The Times" looks at what constitutes the essence of cool.
From the sensual nonchalance of New Wave icons to the coolness of the fearsome samurai of Japanese cinema, the “cool” spirit takes on a different face from one culture to another.
A “cool” guy is Steve McQueen driving a Ford Mustang GT, but also Harry Styles in a pink tutu , his hair artfully tousled, singing with androgynous charm.
However, it seems that a common definition of "cool attitude" is possible. Indeed, according to a study conducted in 13 countries across five continents, Mexicans, Chinese, Germans, Indians, and South Africans all roughly agree on what constitutes the essence of cool people.
These people are said to be extroverted, bold, open to new experiences, autonomous, powerful, and a bit hedonistic, according to the opinion shared by those surveyed, regardless of their languages, morals, and customs. In other words, it's likely that your definition of the word "cool" matches that of a resident of Istanbul, Bombay, or Munich.
In this study, conducted by Chilean and American academics, the 6,000 participants were asked to name people they considered cool, uncool, good or bad.
Take advantage of the special digital offer to access all of our content without limits.
Courrier International
