Itutu

Elizabeth Winkler writes about the exhibit, ‘American Cool’, at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and its numerous examples of cool. She says, that it highlights the idea of Americanness “earned individuality” as opposed to inherited arrogance. Cool people know which rules can be broken for illegitimate and legitimate reasons. Research emphasizes that cool people break the rules, but the right rules (Winkler, 2014). In fact, there has been a new research that finds cool people break the rules, but only certain rules. Researchers report in the Journal of Consumer Research that refusal to comply with traditional rules signals that you have confidence and independence, that you don’t worry what others may think of you. This only works if autonomy is considered suitable, but if the rules being defied seems unnecessary, illegitimate, or repressive. Being cool isn’t about breaking the rules, it’s about breaking certain rules in context (Winkler, 2014). In a study, researchers asked a group of people to decide about their reaction to an ad that either supported breaking or following a dress code. The ad was stating that a dress code was for a legitimate reason (to honor war veterans), then it wasn’t cool to break the dress code. When the group reads that it was for illegitimate reason (to recognize a corrupt leader), breaking the rules seem appropriate. The definition of being cool remains a mystery to researchers, because it based on the individual independence and…