Of those who prefer hot foods, 21 percent consider themselves extroverted, compared to 15 percent of mild food eaters. Those who pack on the heat are also more likely to describe themselves as creative (54%), confident (51%), and adventurous (44%).
Because eating spicy can cause your body –pituitary gland and hypothalamus specifically, to release endorphins. Endorphins can be known as a trigger happy chemical, which gives you an instant feeling of pleasure from head to toe. People crave the spiciness of food just the same way they crave something sweet or salty.
The spicy taste has been related to multiple personality traits, and to psychological states, including sensation seeking; risk taking; and sensitivity to reward, aggression, and anger, and could thus produce relevant consequential behaviors.
Spicy stimulation has an analgesia effect on adults that persists even after the taste stimulation stops. Conversely, a long-term spicy diet can reduce the human basal pain threshold.
A recent “Flavor Trend Category Report” by Technomic concludes that Asian people have the highest tolerance for spicy foods, while Caucasians have the least.
But here's where things got really weird: In the actual taste test, the female test subjects were more likely to report actually enjoying the burning taste of the capsaicin. Men, on the other hand, did not—even if they had said they loved spicy foods.
Spicy foods contain a chemical called capsaicin, which activates a receptor found in your mouth and on your tongue called a TRPV1 receptor. There is some variation in the sensitivity of these receptors, and even the amount of them, from person to person.
"Hot and spicy food are yang and can make a person aggressive, hyperactive, hot-tempered and agitated," she told a Malaysian website, adding that deficiencies in nutrients, magnesium, Vitamin C and B may also cause someone to have a shorter fuse.
Miska's findings were pretty astounding: A spicy flavor was found to overwhelmingly increase romantic interest as well as physical attractiveness ratings across the subjects. "Women in the spicy condition rated the men as significantly more attractive than those in the sweet condition," the study states.
The study found that there was a common genetic factor that regulated responses to spicy foods. The results revealed that genetic factors accounted for 18% to 58% of the variation in the enjoyment of spicy food, which allowed the researchers to conclude that spice tolerance does have ties to genetics.
Denmark Has the Least-Spicy Food in the World.
: piquant, racy. especially : somewhat scandalous or salacious.
One is that we simply enjoy the thrill of it. Dr. Paul Rozin, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, argues that people use spicy foods as a type of “constrained risk” or “benign masochism.” Eating spicy foods triggers a mild defense response in us.
The most common personality construct associated with spicy taste is sensation seeking, which has been associated with a preference for, and consumption of, spicy foods.
Many Australians grow up eating a variety of different cuisines, including Indian, Chinese, British, and American. This being the case, you'll find a healthy mix of Australians who love spicy food, as well as those who hate it.
Spicy foods have been shown to help with weight loss. “Capsaicin helps increase your core temperature, increase metabolism and helps burn calories faster,” Robinson says. “Research has shown that it could increase your metabolism by up to 5 percent.”
Chillies boast high levels of vitamins and minerals, including niacin and vitamin B, which are known to help reduce stress. Chillies can also help boost the body's production of feel-good hormones, such as serotonin, which can help reduce anxiety, calm nerves, and give your mood a boost.
“Although you feel like it's burning [when you eat spicy foods], it's actually a trick of the mind,” he says, adding that spicy foods do not cause any physical harm to a well-functioning digestive system.
Many people crave carbohydrates or soothing comfort foods, such as ice cream and cake, when they're depressed. One reason for this is that foods high in carbs and sugar increase levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that elevates mood.
A: Spicy food tolerance comes from a physical change in how some of the body's pain receptors react to capsaicin, the molecule responsible for the “hot” in spicy peppers and foods flavored with them. Psychology factors into how much we likethe burn, not how we feel the burn.
Some scientists believe that spice tolerance can be genetic. This means some people may be born with fewer pain receptors than others, and that genes account for 18 to 58% of a person's ability to withstand spice.
Ongoing polling shows that almost one-third of people love spicy food (31%), nearly two-fifths like it (36%), less than a fifth don't like it (19%), and the remaining percentage don't have a strong opinion (14%), excluding those who haven't tried spicy foods.
China: Huo Guo. The spiciness of Huo Guo is due to the Sichuan pepper oil used. The very tasty, but palette destroying dish from China contains a number of raw ingredients, from fish and beef, to tofu and vegetables.