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The coolest person you know would probably be just as popular in Japan as they would be in Nicaragua or Austria. That’s because while hip folks may seem to have a certain “je ne sais quoi,” there are some specific attributes associated with being cool — and they’re surprisingly similar across different cultures around the world, recent research suggests.

Building sand castles isn’t just for kids: One U.K. dad has been getting in on the summer fun, too. Mark Lewis, 57, is passionate about molding sand into weird and wonderful landscapes, creatures, and buildings, and his creative sculptures — including Spongebob Squarepants and a giant pair of Crocs — have been earning him attention on social media. He’s also created figures of Star Wars’ Jabba the Hutt and R2-D2, as well as The Lord of the Rings’ Helm’s Deep and Isengard, and he believes “the bigger” the sand sculpture “the better.” “It’s all about bringing joy into the world and inciting a smile on someone’s face as they discover something unexpected [to] surprise [them] on the beach,” he said. “I also love making things tall. The higher the sculpture, the more impressive it is, and we love it when people look at it thinking, ‘How on earth did they do that!’”