Latest news with #traits
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
What you need to do to be considered "cool".
life and society about 1 hour ago What do David Bowie, Stevie Nicks, Keanu Reeves have in common? They are - by almost anyone's standards - "cool". A new psychology study has been making the rounds, and it tries to get to the bottom of a simple question: What does it mean to be a cool person? The authors widdled the answer down to six specific traits. Caleb Warren is a professor at the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona, and one of the authors behind this study, he chats to Jesse.
CBC
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
What is the essence of cool? A global study narrows it down to 6 key traits
Cool is cool, no matter where you are in the world. That's the conclusion of a new study that surveyed nearly 6,000 people in 13 different countries about what makes a person cool, and found the answers to be surprisingly universal. "We wanted to [look at] the deeper characteristics associated with cool people. How do those change across cultures?" Caleb Warren, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Arizona, told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. "We found that, largely, they don't." The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology identifies six perceived traits associated with cool people: extroverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open and autonomous. And "perceived" is the key word here. "Cool is an impression we have of others," Warren said. "And I think, like other impressions, we form these almost instantaneously." The difference between 'cool' and 'good' The researchers surveyed 5,943 people online between 2018 and 2022 in the United States, Australia, Chile, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Spain, South Africa, South Korea and Turkey. They asked each participant to think of four specific people: someone cool, someone not cool, someone good, and someone not good. They then had the participants fill out questionnaires evaluating the personality traits of those people. "The question we wanted to ask in this research is: Is cool the same or just another way of saying you like someone, or you think they're good?" Warren said. "And so what we tried to do is distinguish cool people from good people." They found there is, indeed, some overlap between the two — but also some very big differences. Broadly, the authors say, good people were described as more agreeable, conforming, traditional, secure, warm, conscientious and calm. "Its not that being bad will make somebody cool," Warren said. "I think being different or distinct or counter-normative is … what ends up making people cool." 'One of the most important American cultural exports' Rebellion is and always has been at the very heart of cool, says author and professor Joel Dinerstein. "Contemporary cool owes everything to rebel counter-cultural movements, from Black jazz musicians to the [Beat Generation] to the punks," he told CBC in an email. Dinerstein has been teaching a class called "The History of Cool" for almost 20 years at Tulane University in New Orleans. He's also the author of The Origins of Cool and curated the National Portrait Gallery exhibit American Cool. He traces the origins of cool to the post-Second World War jazz scene, when Black musicians began "defying racism through language, style, and a nonchalant (cool) demeanour." In fact, he says, it was U.S. jazz saxophonist Lester Young who coined the modern usage of the word. Despite cool's distinctly American origins, Dinerstein wasn't at all surprised by the study's conclusion that cool is a universal concept. "Cool has been a global concept for more than a half-century," he said. "It is one of the most important American cultural exports, along with the nation's music and sports." Even the word "cool" has become universal across different languages, Warren said. "In our survey, we asked people about the word cool without trying to translate it," he said. "And so both the word and meaning have spread around the world, with the meaning largely intact." Is capitalism ruining cool? But as coolness spreads, does it lose its edge? The study's authors say that over the years, coolness has strayed from its counterculture origins and morphed into something "more mainstream" and "commercially friendly," with major brands like Pepsi and Nike turning it into a commodity. But Dinerstein isn't too worried. "I don't think corporate interests ever truly define cool as much as they, or the media, or certain lazy writers think," he said. Francis McAndrew — a social psychologist at Knox College and Illinois who has written about the concept of coolness —agrees. "I don't think that pop culture and advertising are creating the image of what it means to be cool as much as they are relentlessly reminding us about it to sell us stuff," he said. Ultimately, Warren says the value of coolness lies in its power to alter the status quo by raising the social status of people who "are able to move a culture forward by innovating or coming up with new ideas." It's also, he says, not easily manufactured. In a separate research project he's working on, he's found that people who actively try be cool are usually perceived as less cool.
Forbes
13-05-2025
- General
- Forbes
How To Become Unstoppable By Playing Your Unique Ace Cards
How to become unstoppable by playing your unique ace cards Your ace cards are the skills, traits, and characteristics at your disposal. They're sitting right there, waiting for you to play them. Maybe it's your network, your knowledge, or even physical attributes. Most business owners are making a huge mistake by not playing the ones they already have. Look at your life. What makes you different? What comes naturally that others struggle with? Stop trying to improve your weaknesses. You don't need to do that. Instead, start using what makes you exceptional. Entrepreneurs who double down on their natural talents create unstoppable momentum, while those constantly patching weak areas stagnate. Try to become a well-rounded professional creates mediocrity. Peak performers don't achieve greatness by being moderately good at everything. They become exceptional by identifying their natural advantages and going all in. Make that your approach. Your ace cards are often hiding in plain sight. Your gifts are unique. Play them boldly. Ask five people what your superpower is. Their answers reveal patterns you've overlooked because they come so naturally to you. Pay attention to activities where you lose track of time. Notice what colleagues consistently ask you for help with. These signals point to your unique advantages. Watch where your energy flows. As an extrovert close to 100% on the scale, I genuinely love people and feel alive when connecting with others. The more I position myself to chat with people and leave non-people stuff to colleagues, the more I can achieve. Track when you feel energized after activities. Notice what leaves you drained. Your ace cards energize you, while playing against your natural strengths depletes you. The most powerful advantage comes from unique combinations. The analytical thinker who also communicates clearly. The creative visionary with execution skills. The empathetic leader who makes tough decisions. Successful people spend their time doing actions that align with their strengths. Look for your unique combination of talents to create an uncontested advantage in your field. Weaknesses don't disappear by ignoring them. Tackle them head on and build systems to compensate. If you struggle with details, implement checklists and verification processes. If organization isn't your strength, create templates and workflows. If financial planning bores you, schedule regular reviews with an advisor. Systems free you to focus on playing your ace cards. Make success easy with processes and automation. No one excels at everything. Identify people whose ace cards complement yours. The visionary founder partners with the operational expert. The creative content creator teams up with the analytical marketer. The big-picture strategist works alongside the detail-oriented implementer. The right partnerships multiply impact without requiring you to become someone you're not. Many entrepreneurs stay trapped in roles they've outgrown. They keep doing tasks they started with, even when those activities no longer align with their strengths. Analyze your calendar for a week. Calculate what percentage of time you spend playing to your strengths versus compensating for weaknesses. Then redesign your role to maximize time spent on activities where you deliver unique value. Identifying your ace cards sets you apart. Analyzing your energy patterns shows where to focus. Building combinations creates your competitive edge. Creating systems handles your weaknesses. Finding partnerships multiplies your impact. Redesigning your role ensures you stay in your zone of genius. Your greatest regret will be the cards you never played. The world needs what only you can deliver.
