The Conspiracy of "Cool"

Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

iHeartPodcasts

Society & Culture

4.3 • 10.7K Ratings

🗓️ 14 August 2025

⏱️ 68 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What makes a person "cool"? We don't mean physical temperature -- instead, we're asking about the swag, the aura, the almost indescribable vibe with a thousand names across time and culture. For most of human history, the concept of what we call "cool" has been a mystery -- perhaps, that is, until now. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the strange story of how science may have finally cracked the code on coolness. Could you use this knowledge to make yourself cooler? More importantly... is it cool to want to?

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

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Transcript

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0:00.0	From UFOs to psychic powers and government conspiracies, history is riddled with unexplained events.
0:06.5	You can turn back now or learn the stuff they don't want you to know.
0:12.0	A production of IHeartRadie. Hello, welcome back to the show.
0:27.4	My name is Matt.
0:28.2	My name is Noel.
0:29.3	They call me bed.
0:31.0	We're joined, as always, with our super producer, Dylan, the Tennessee pal Faget.
0:35.1	Most importantly, you are you, you are here. That makes this the
0:39.3	stuff they don't want you to know. What's cooler than being cool? Nothing. Ice cold.
0:45.6	Okay. I would also accept it ice cold. All right now, fellas. What's a shout out to Outcast and
0:53.1	Andre, obviously, since we are based in the Fair Metropolis of Atlanta.
0:57.2	What's the time you guys felt cool?
0:59.4	Not physical temperature-wise, 69, nice, but more like intriguing suave, having drip.
1:06.3	All day, every day, baby.
1:07.6	I like that.
1:08.6	I like that.
1:09.2	Not the case.
1:09.9	I do my best.
1:11.2	It is weirdly, uncomfortably important to me to seem cool.
1:15.4	And I think I often fail at that.
1:16.9	So maybe I need a new thing.
1:19.2	Guys, according to all the writings, the most uncool thing you can do is consider yourself
	...

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