Why it's cooler to be cool than to be good

Being cool has been considered hot in all cultures. But according to the cool-sounding study, 'Cool People', published in Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, what constitutes coolness is more or less universal, never mind culture, country or school. Very much unlike 'goodness'. Coolness, from Guadalajara and Gurgaon to Dantewada and Dunedin, does not ask you to be kind, it asks if your sunglasses reflect existential disinterest. '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 one of the researchers, who seemed desperate to come across as cool.

Cool people and good people aren't the same. But there are some overlapping traits. The former is marked by the art of 'not trying'. You can fake goodness (ask any politician). But you cannot fake cool (don't ask Dev Anand). The moment you try, you'll be square. The study finds that irrespective of culture, cool people are perceived as more autonomous, uninterested in what other people think (even if they are interested), and less duty-/rule-driven. Which is why aliens will judge us not on our ethics, but by how we say 'Whatever'. And before you say that here in India being good is cool, please remember: Krishna is cool; Yudhishthir, well, he's just good.