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Why Do Some People Like Spicy Foods While Others Don't?
The culinary world has an endless combination of flavors and tastes to enjoy, and the ways in which people enjoy them are just as varied.
Some folks have a sweet tooth, while others crave salty snacks. Many people pride themselves on their ability to hammer down a dozen hot wings, while some people balk at the thought of dipping chips into habanero jelly.
The topic of hot foods is often one of stark
division. Why can some people withstand the burning sensation of hot sauce like
others hate the thought of a more-than-mild buffalo dip?
It’s a Mind Game
It may feel like your taste buds are burning off when you hit a jalapeno pepper, but what’s really happening is that chemical molecules in hot foods trigger pain receptors on your tongue that are linked to the sensation of temperature.
Nothing is burning; your mind is simply
responding to the food.
It Can Be Attributed to
Upbringing
Those who love spicy food have most likely acquired the taste over a length of time. Spicy mood molecules, like capsaicin, depleted the neurotransmitter substance P. This is what sends those pain signals to your brain.
Therefore, people who grew up eating spicy
cuisine like those found in India and Thailand more likely have a high heat
tolerance. They’ve eaten hot foods most of their life, and their taste buds
have become desensitized to the pain triggers.
It’s Psychological
Some people simply relish in the feeling of pain hot food brings, finding it more pleasurable than anything.
This can be due to the response of the body to these foods. Once the stress of the pain receptors sets in, your body responds by producing endorphins to stem the pain.
This rush of endorphins causes a happy
feeling, balancing out the bad you feel. Because of this, many people associate
hot foods with happiness.
Your Personality Can Have An
Impact
If you are a thrill seeker, you most likely adore spicy foods.
Studies done back in the 1980s showed a connection between loving activities like adrenaline-inducing rollercoasters and eating a plate of hot food.
You may be the sort of person who craves attention and the thrill it brings; you might also be a hot food lover.
Studies have shown that men and women reach
for hot sauce for different reasons: women like the sensation, while men do it
for the attention it can bring upon them from their peers.
You Can Train Yourself
There is no such thing as being born with a spice-loving gene. As noted above, it’s something that’s learned due to the repeated exposure and response to hot foods.
If you’re someone who would like to invite more spice into their life, you can train yourself into doing so. All you have to do is be willing to put up with a little discomfort each time your paint receptors go off.
Add spice a little at a time, and before you know it you’ll be dousing dishes in hot sauce.
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