According to Why Lorde's acne is cool and Miley's twerking isn't, an article on today.com, researchers Caleb Warren and Margaret C. Campbell have come up with an airtight definition of "cool" that may actually work in today's cool-obsessed society.

The definition? "Coolness is a subjective, positive trait perceived in people, brands, products and trends that are autonomous in an appropriate way."

Basically, "cool has something to do with being autonomous or independent, without crossing the line of being too freaky, the researchers found." They believe that "coolness is akin to creativity and uniqueness and that's something many of us desire." Ultimately, "things are cool only to the extent that others consider them cool."

The researchers say that "there are also infinite ways to be uncool, but that the following three factors guarantee an uncool status:

• Being too normal
• Being too strange
• Liking uncool people or things"

This explains why Lorde's acne is cool — because it's autonomous in an appropriate way that others consider cool. It also indicates why Miley's twerking isn't cool — because it's too freaky.

So what makes cool birthday wishes cool? They possess a certain "uniqueness" that falls somewhere between "too normal" and "too strange." This uniqueness can come from an ingenious pun, witty turn of phrase, clever thought or a fanciful poetic image. The cool birthday wishes on this page have this unique aura of coolness. Choose one that comes closest to your idea of cool since, after all, things are cool only to the extent that you consider them cool.

What you need to do is to pick a birthday message that's not too cool for you or the recipient of your birthday greeting. Why? Because a birthday wish that's too cool can come off as cold (as in the "unfeeling" version of cold). Not good. What's better is to just select a cool birthday wish that cleverly expresses how you feel about the birthday boy or girl.

Showing your feelings to the people you love — now that's pretty cool.
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