‘You know it when you see it’: experts size up scientists’ attempt to define cool

Rihanna exudes ‘delightfully don’t-care’ coolness, according to an expert on cool. Photograph: Carl Timpone/BFA.com/Shutterstock

It has puzzled philosophers, scholars and those aspiring to be cool for generations: what is it that makes someone cool? Now it appears that the alchemical code has finally been cracked.

There are six specific attributes needed to be cool, according to a study published this week by the American Psychological Association.