One of the most distinctive features of the human sense of smell is that it bypasses the brain's sensory filters and goes straight to the limbic system, where memories and emotions reside. That's why a simple smell can bring you right back to a place in time in an emotional way that even a photograph or a song can't do.

Scents have an incredible way of taking us to a specific time and place, and for those of us who lived through the 1980s, certain smells act like a wormhole to the Reagan era, a time defined by big hair, Cold War tensions, and New Wave music.

ThrillaRilla39, an X user who frequently posts about nostalgia, asked their followers, "What did the '80s smell like?" The question received nearly 6,000 responses. The scents people shared are sure to bring readers back to a time when you didn't come home until the streetlights came on and everyone was still wondering who shot J.R. Ewing.

Two answers, in particular, really stood out: cigarettes and Aqua Net hairspray. It makes sense. In 1980, 33.2 percent of American adults smoked cigarettes, compared with just 11.6 percent in 2022. You could smoke just about anywhere back then, in restaurants, at the mall, and even inside the house with the doors closed. It's safe to say we've learned a bit about public health since the Neon Eighties.

Many X users shared the perfumes and colognes that were popular in the '80s.

Nothing defined the '80s quite like the interior of a Pizza Hut, smelling of hot cheese, sweaty kids, and cigarettes.

That chemical smell of plastic bubbles that you could never wash off your fingers.

Or, if you were a kid in the '80s, smelly erasers were all the rage. The only problem was when your little brother thought they were candy and tried to eat one.

Big hair was everywhere, and Aqua Net, the 99-cent hairspray that could double as a flamethrower, was ubiquitous. Don't get it on your forehead, it'll never wash off.

The eggy, orangey smell of Orange Julius seemed to permeate half the mall.

Everything smelled like cigarettes because people smoked everywhere.

It may sound bizarre in 2026, but the first federal ban on smoking on airplanes didn't go into effect until 1990. Other notable bans: Arizona began restricting smoking in certain areas in 1974, and Minnesota started regulating smoking in public spaces in 1975. One of the most significant laws came in 1995, when California banned smoking in workplaces, including restaurants and bars.

Did you do a good job on your social studies assignment? No cavities at the dentist? Memorize all the books of the New Testament? Your reward in 1984 was a scratch-n-sniff sticker. Well done, Kevin.

Back in the '80s, people didn't use much sunscreen. Instead, they used lotions designed to make tanning easier, even though they increased the risk of skin cancer. It wasn't the healthiest choice, but those suntanning lotions did have a pleasant coconut-meets-olive-oil scent.

Nothing smelled better in the '80s than walking into a Kmart or Sears and catching the scent of the popcorn machine running all day.

Or walking into the mall and smelling these bad boys from 100 yards away.

There was something about the plastic in a Trapper Keeper that gave off a scent lasting the entire school year, far longer than the plastic rings inside, which usually broke before Christmas.

The '80s are long gone, but for those who lived through the era, they still live deep in the recesses of our minds. They can come alive at the simple smell of a dirty Chuck E. Cheese token, a whiff of English Leather cologne, or an old La-Z-Boy chair where Grandpa smoked for decades.

The '80s may not have been the healthiest time to be alive, but they are impossible to forget.

The diversity of humanity means people won't always see eye to eye, and psychology tells us that people tend to double down when their views are challenged. When people are so deeply entrenched in their own perspectives they're refusing to entertain other viewpoints, what do we do?

Frequently, what we do falls into the "understandable but ineffective" category. When we disagree with someone because their opinion is based on falsehoods or inaccurate information, we may try to pound them with facts and statistics. Unfortunately, research shows that generally doesn't work. We might try to find different ways to explain our stance using logic and reasoning, but that rarely makes a dent, either. So often, we're left wondering how on Earth this person arrived at their perspective, especially if they reject facts and logic.

According to Stanford researchers, turning that wondering into an actual question might be the key.

Questions are more effective than facts when it comes to disagreements.Photo credit: Canva

Two studies examined how expressing interest in someone's view and asking them to elaborate on why they hold their opinion affected both parties engaged in a debate. They found that asking questions like, "Could you tell me more about that?” and ‘‘Why do you think that?" made the other person "view their debate counterpart more positively, behave more open-mindedly, and form more favorable inferences about other proponents of the counterpart’s views." Additionally, adding an expression of interest, such as, ‘‘But I was interested in what you’re saying. Can you tell me more about how come you think that?” not only made the counterpart more open to other viewpoints, but the questioner themselves developed more favorable attitudes toward the opposing viewpoint.

In other words, genuinely striving to understand another person's perspective by being curious and asking them to say more about how they came to their conclusions may help bridge seemingly insurmountable divides.

Asking people to elaborate leads to more open-mindedness.Photo credit: Canva

Stanford isn't alone in these findings. A series of studies at the University of Haifa also found that........

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