[Throaway199999]

No, that's myth that we "uncool kids" fall into without realizing it.

Cool means you are confident. You're unbothered by what other people say because you have faith in yourself, you like yourself.

It does not mean "I don't care about anything." It just so happens that the average person doesn't care a lot about "things," so the average cool person doesn't either.

[tehjoker]

cool means you appear confident, attractive, and socially effortless even if there is effort behind the scenes. the meaning has been stretched to mean "socially desirable" which is a slightly broader category

[ryandrake]

This is awesome. A bunch of nerds arguing about the precise definition of "cool." Could there be a more HN worthy comment tree?

[tehjoker]

Just because I know what it is doesn't mean I can do it.

[Throaway199999]

Confident, attractive and socially effortless are all highly socially desirable traits in a friend or mate. This is obvious to anyone who isn't socially problematic. I can tell you've never been cool!

Who's stretching the definition of "cool?" Cool is a social convention, not a scientific term.

The bottom line is, "people" don't like being around anxiety-riddled individuals with social hangups. They like people who are "cool."

The worst thing you can do if you want to be cool, is get upset about how other people are telling you you aren't.

[tehjoker]

who's trying to be "cool"?