Why do we like spicy food !!!?

Humans are characterized by instinctively fleeing from danger when we feel threatened, but at the same time we are lovers of adrenaline and extreme sensations.

The human being is the only animal that enjoys eating spicy foods and in some areas of the planet spicy is a distinctive ingredient in its cultures, for example Mexico, for centuries its gastronomy has been influenced directly by the spicy.

Spicy food intake has nothing to do whatsoever with tolerance ardor, rather it is associated with the personality and sensation seeking reward to pain.

Studies by Paul Rozin, a psychologist at Pennsylvania State University, in his study demonstrated that people who are passionate about hot chili pepper is associated with the pursuit of pleasure and reward.

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In general the chemical compound called Capsaicin is responsible for the irritation of the taste glands of the tongue in mammals, only affects mammals that according to the preliminary results of an investigation carried out Rozin in the 70's has not Been suppressed and in the opposite case they feel a genuine interest in spicy food.

This proves that the taste for itching is not natural, it is acquired, which also shows that there are so many differences between people and cultures that enjoy this type of food.

It is important to note that the itching sensation is not a taste, like sweet or bitter, when eating hot pepper or other similar foods, the pain receptors activate in our brains, this alerts our brains that we are consuming something that we do not we must.

This type of receptor produces a sensation very similar to what we would feel if we burned the tongue, but in fact does not produce any damage to the tissues of the tongue.

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So if the brain tells us that we are feeling pain, why don't we stop and continue to consume the culprit of the brain warning? The key is that just as some people throw themselves in similar, we enjoy the mixture of Pain and Pleasure that gives us spicy food. These two sensations occur in the brain stem, causing the production of dopamine in the brain and the same areas of the cortex that influence our perception and consciousness.

According to Dr. Rozi the research led him to the conclusion that our taste for spice is a product of the activation of pain and pleasure systems at the same time, which also happens when we see a horror film, we climbed a mountain Russian or we are exposed to situations of risk, this intertwines our feelings of fear and pleasure safely.

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To this Rozi called it "benignly masochistic" (or "hedonic reversal") activities that were only found in humans.

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Another study that gives weight to the research of Rozi is the one realized in the University of Oxford by the neuroscientist Siri Leknes that attributes the reaction of the brain to the hour to feel pain and pleasure at the same time and that occurs when discovering that we do not Will cause no harm, which makes us feel a relief which, as we have seen, translates into a peculiar kind of pleasure.

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In this nice video we can learn a little more about this unique peculiar condition of human beings.

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Everything points then that the responsible of that we adore the spicy is the system of reward of the brain and the addiction of the human being to the dopamine and the adrenaline. What makes us the only mammal capable of eating chile for taste.

As additional information I show you which peppers, peppers or chillies produce more itch in our mouth according to Scoville scale, which is responsible for measuring the degree of itch in peppers and related.

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