Latest news with #cool
CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Get a cool look inside this northern Ontario ice plant
Lecoupe Ice, a family-run business that has been keeping northern Ontario drinks cool for decades, gives us a tour of its plant in Greater Sudbury, complete with robots.
CTV News
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Summer fashion tips: look cool & beat the heat!
Julia Grieve has some fashionable ways to keep everyone looking cool and stylish this summer.
Forbes
15-07-2025
- Science
- Forbes
2 Signs That You're A Conventionally ‘Cool' Person, By A Psychologist
'Cool' people across the world tend to have these six personality traits in common. 'Am I cool?' is a question we've all probably asked ourselves at some point. Or, we may have wondered, 'Do they like me?' or 'Do I fit in?' But do we know what it means to be cool? Does it mean being likeable and socially accepted? Is the meaning the same across cultures? A team of researchers set out to answer these questions in a new large-scale study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. They carried out experiments with over 5900 participants from around the world. Participants were asked to think of someone who they thought was cool, not cool, good, or not good and then rate the personality and values of those people. Their findings were striking: while there's some cultural variation, the core characteristics of 'cool' people are surprisingly consistent across societies. Importantly, these are perceived traits; not necessarily what people are really like, but how they're seen. Researchers also wanted to explore whether being cool is simply another way of saying you like someone or think they're a good person. Their findings revealed that while there is some overlap, perceptions of 'cool' and 'good' are distinct. Based on the research findings, here are the key traits that define a 'cool' person versus a 'good' person. 1. You Question Convention And Strive For Change If you're someone who takes risks based on what you think is right, then you might be on the path to coolness. Researchers found that qualities like extroversion, power, open-mindedness and independence are some of the key traits associated with being cool. Cool people tend to challenge the status quo and embrace new ideas. That is why, researchers argue, coolness thrives in information societies. This is because such societies tend to value ideas, culture and social innovation. 'Our data reveal that cool people are autonomous, adventurous, open, and hedonistic, all of which make a person more likely to seek new and different experiences. Research also suggests a relationship between being cool and being influential,' the researchers noted. This link between coolness and influence helps explain why certain public figures resonate as both daring and aspirational. Take CEOs, for example. When we picture one, the image that often comes to mind is someone stoic and suited, perhaps even rigid, like Bart Bass from Gossip Girl, a fictional billionaire. He may be successful, but he's far from cool or good, given how cold and individualistic he appears. On the other hand, a real-world CEO like Richard Branson might be perceived as cool because he visited outer space. It makes him seem adventurous, exciting and bold. He pushed the boundaries of what's possible for private citizens and challenged the idea that space is only for astronauts or government agencies. At the same time, perceptions of coolness may vary across different age brackets. For instance, Tesla CEO Elon Musk allegedly smoking marijuana on a Joe Rogan podcast may not have sat well with investors and Tesla's stock price drop the day after reflected their sentiments. Yet, the same act may have been perceived as rebellious or cool by younger audiences, particularly college students, who look up to people in power who challenge norms. Again, it also depends on how much effort someone appears to be putting in. For instance, Musk's constant posting on X might strike some as 'trying too hard,' while others enthusiastically consume his content by the hour. 2. You Are Warm, Reliable And Conscientious While a cool person might be agreeable and friendly, it does not necessarily mean they are ethical. Good people embody qualities like calmness, conscientiousness, universalism, agreeableness, warmth, security, tradition and conformity. Such people may not necessarily be influencers or trendsetters, but they are dependable and prosocial. The study found that 9 of the 15 positive traits and values that they assessed were associated with both cool people and good people. Coolness in certain contexts can undermine goodness. For example, someone who's adventurous and thrill-seeking may be admired, but if that same person engages in reckless or selfish behavior (e.g., drug use, cheating, exploitative relationships), they might lose their moral credibility. Moreover, in a society where influence is currency, being perceived as cool may be rewarded more than being good. But, the cost is often paid by those excluded or exploited in the pursuit of personal gain. This is when coolness becomes more performative than it should be. However, people still seek popularity because cool people tend to reap more social rewards. They often receive more attention, admiration and influence. But those same traits, like hedonism or a desire to dominate, can sometimes push them away from traits associated with goodness, like humility or altruism. In a study on high school students' consumption patterns and identity construction, researchers found that consumption was important to those trying to fit in. 'Consumption is becoming more important than anything. Everybody wants Dolce Gabbana, Calvin Klein, and at the same time there is the crowd that cannot pay for a trivial meal at the street vendor,' a 16-year old participant from the study explains. The research suggests that to consume or to dream of consuming creates illusions of belonging to a different social class. People may think that possessing luxury brands will signify higher social status. Ironically, the study found that the 'cool' approach criticizes consumption. Both goodness and coolness can coexist. If you're trying to be a good person, remember to stand your ground, even as you strive to build a better world. But if you're trying to be cool, remember that you do not have to give up on the goodness within you. Ultimately, all you need is to have confidence and the courage to make your own decisions and be your own person. That, arguably, is the coolest thing of all. How self-aware are you about the qualities you possess? Take this science-backed test to find out: Self-Awareness Outcomes Questionnaire
CNA
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
What makes someone cool? A new study offers clues
Is there a secret sauce that helps explain why people as different as David Bowie, Samuel L Jackson and Charli XCX all seem so self-assured and, well, cool? A new study suggests that there are six specific traits that these people tend to have in common: Cool people are largely perceived to be extroverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open and autonomous. The study, which was recently published in the Journal Of Experimental Psychology: General, surveyed nearly 6,000 participants from 12 countries around the world. Their beliefs about what's 'cool' were similar regardless of where the study participants lived, and despite differences in age, income level, education or gender. 'What blew my mind was the fact that it was pretty much the same result everywhere,' said Caleb Warren, one of the authors of the study and a professor at the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona who has researched consumer psychology for two decades. In the study, each participant had to recognise the word 'cool' in English, without translation, suggesting that they were already familiar with – or maybe even idolised – notions of coolness from wealthy Western countries like the United States. In that sense, the study offers a window into the spread of cultural beliefs from one group of people to another, said Joseph Henrich, an anthropologist and a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard who was not involved in the study. 'Globally, American success has led to the diffusion of music styles and an immense amount of cultural content, including, apparently, the concept of cool,' Dr Henrich said. Coolness is not a widely studied subject. Past research has found that coolness is usually considered something positive: People who are cool are also friendly, competent, trendy and attractive. But Dr Warren and his colleagues wanted to know what makes a person distinctly 'cool' rather than just 'good.' So the researchers asked the participants to think of specific people: One who is cool, one who is not cool, one who is good and one who is not good. Then they asked the participants to evaluate each person by answering questionnaires that collectively measured 15 different attributes. While the cool and good people had overlapping traits, compared with their cool counterparts, good people were perceived as more conforming, traditional, secure, warm, agreeable, universalistic (the extent to which a person sees everyone and everything as being equal or equally worthy of care and respect), conscientious and calm. Those who were perceived as capable were equally considered cool and good. One limitation of the study was that anyone who did not know the word 'cool' was automatically filtered out. As a result, the data cannot determine how frequently the word is used in different countries or whether in certain cultures coolness will lead to a higher social status relative to others. In addition, while the study included participants with a wide range of ages, the population skewed young: The average age from each region was generally 30 or younger. Other studies have shown that there are important cultural differences that can affect the traits that we value. 'Factors like aggression make us have higher status in some Western cultures and simultaneously give us less status in the East,' said Mitch Prinstein, the chief of psychology at the American Psychological Association, who has written two books about popularity, which can be a consequence of coolness. Research on coolness suggests that the desire to be cool is particularly strong during adolescence, and it influences not only what people buy or whom they admire but also how they talk and what they do for fun. But what's considered cool by the broader culture might not be the same as what you personally believe is cool. This is why Dr Warren and his colleagues asked each participant to think about the people they considered cool versus good. Interestingly, across the board, the types of traits that are typically associated with kindness or helpfulness were more often perceived as good instead of cool. So is coolness a trait that's worth pursuing? To that end, Dr Warren, said, 'I have serious doubts.' Coolness that involves risk-taking and being socially precocious during adolescence may offer popularity during youth, but one study published in 2014 found that many teenagers who behaved in this way would later struggle in their 20s, developing problems with alcohol, drugs and relationships. 'They are doing more extreme things to try to act cool,' one of the researchers told The New York Times. For the popular kids in school, 'status is dominance, visibility, attention,' Dr Prinstein said. But, he added, it is how well-liked you are that contributes to long-term success. 'Even the most uncool kid will probably fare well if they have at least one close friend,' he added. Perhaps coolness – particularly the dismissive 'too cool for school' variety – isn't all it's cracked up to be.
BBC News
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
What do you think makes someone cool?
Researchers think they've worked out which personality traits makes a person 'cool'. They asked 6,000 people from 12 countries to think of someone they thought was cool and not cool and then rate that person's to the study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology the six qualities are: Extraverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open and autonomous. In other words, it's someone who is outgoing, lives for fun and is independent, making their own decisions. But we want to know what YOU think makes a person cool. Is it the way they interact with people? Is it how they dress? Maybe there's a celebrity you think is really cool - let us know in the comments below!. The history of cool The word 'cool' started out as a way to describe temperature - not too cold and not too hot and it can still be used in this the 16th Century, it had evolved to also describe a person if they were calm and collected. The modern use of the word cool came from black jazz musicians in the was used to describe a person who was rebellious or charismatic and who helped to create social change through things like art or protests. Words continue to evolve over time. You might not even use the word cool - maybe you use sick, sigma, or gucci forget to let us know what you think makes someone cool in the comments - you could even tell us what is totally uncool.
