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Who gets to decide what is cool?

Being different can look cool, awkward, or simply pointless. In consumer experiments, researchers investigated when independence from a norm becomes appealing, including a comparison of ordinary and unusual bottle designs. Their results make “cool” a judgment made by an audience, rather than a property that an object possesses on its own.

3–7 min

Questions you could explore

  • When does breaking a convention seem admirable, and when does it seem inconsiderate?

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Psychology

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5–7 min

Can an option nobody wants change what people choose?

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How can you miss something that is right in front of you?

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3–7 min

Can a question change what someone remembers?

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