>>10688179While not relevant to hard science, it’s very hard to make the case that human interactions in muh society are flavored through various social constructs and rituals. Nobody is trying to simplify the explanation, but smoking is cool because
1) it had long since been associated to b something that mature men and women do
2) it had long since been associated with sex appeal through cinema to help sell the brand
3) classic cinema further codified it into shorthand for “adult who takes matters into his own hands”
4) aggressive marketing planted it as something enjoyable and fashionabke
It’s not until the 80s and 90s that smoking stopped being cool outside the context of film, but even now, it’s connotation in crime and action films is seen today.
