Are you as cool as a cucumber? Or as naff as a 40-year-old using slang from the 1990s? To find out, simply tick off each of the personality traits you think you possess on each of the lists below.
List A
Thrill-seeking; unconventional; hedonistic (eg partying, self-indulgence); pro-social values (eg caring, unselfish); driven for success; friendly; competent; charismatic; attractive; confident; trendy; warm.
List B
Rebellious; ironic; rough; aloof; anti-social values (eg selfish).
So, are you cool? And, if so, what type of cool? If you ticked mostly traits on List A, then you have what coolness researchers, for example Professor Ilan Dar-Nimrod of the University of Rochester, New York, call cachet-cool. This is the type of cool enjoyed by the popular, conventionally attractive kids. If you ticked mostly items on List B, you have contrarian-cool. This is enjoyed by the tough rebels who eschew sports in favour of smoking behind the bike sheds.
If you’re very attractive, you’ll be perceived as cool (that’s cachet-cool), whatever you do. If not, you’ll have to work harder, for example by being friendly and partying extra hard. If you want to go the contrarian-cool route but are not naturally rebellious, you’ll need to dial up the irony and the rough demeanour – and never use the word “cool”.
Order Are You Smarter Than a Chimpanzee? by Ben Ambridge (Profile Books, £12.99) for £11.04 at bookshop.theguardian.com
