Minority Reporter Group

I never understood fans of spicy food — why would you voluntarily eat something that brings tears to your eyes and a burning sensation in your mouth? But I accidentally came across an article on the nerdish.io website — why do people like spicy food?, and it changed everything. It turns out that capsaicin, a substance that causes burning, tricks the brain into imitating pain, and in response, it produces endorphins. It turns out that we get a dose of happiness at the expense of mild “pain.” This explains why many people call eating spicy food an extreme food — after all, the sensations really are like an emotional roller coaster. I was especially surprised by the fact that people in hot countries eat spicy food more often — it helps them sweat and, oddly enough, cool down. Now, when I take something spicy, I no longer think: “Why?” — I think: “Now I’m going to catch an endorphin hit.” It’s cool that just food can give such sensations.