Table of contents:
- People who like spicy food have different personalities
- Genetics could be one reason
- The influence of the surrounding environment
Are you a fan of spicy food? How can you stand the spicy taste? Everyone has their own abilities to deal with spicy food. Why is it that some people are able to eat spicy food and others are not? Not only that, a person's ability to eat foods with spicy flavors will vary. Actually, what is the reason why it happened?
People who like spicy food have different personalities
It turns out that in several studies people who like to eat spicy food have a personality that tends to be the same - of course, different from the personality of people who don't like to eat spicy food. There is a hypothesis which states that people who like to eat spicy food tend to be adventurous.
Love to eat spicy food can be likened to you riding roller coaster or a game of challenging guts and adrenaline. The first time you ride the game that requires guts, you will feel a fast heartbeat, sweat more, and get scared. This naturally occurs and is the body's response to the so-called 'fight or run' mechanism (fight or flight response).
Once you have successfully passed the obstacle in a safe and well manner, it will challenge you to do more the next time. Just like when you try spicy food for the first time, the response of the body that appears will be the same as when you cross the obstacle. But when you manage to eat all these spicy foods, you actually feel challenged to try a higher level of spiciness than before. Then you will try a new level of spiciness, when you get through it again then you will try more than that.
The similarity in the personalities of people who like to eat spicy food was also proven in a study conducted in 2012. In this study, it is true that groups of people who like spicy food seem to have the same personality and behavior, tend to like challenges.
Genetics could be one reason
A study conducted by researchers from the University of Helsinki stated that a person's ability to eat spicy food is also influenced by their genetic makeup. In a study involving twins, found that as many as 18-58% of people who like spicy food have a genetic similarity.
According to the researchers, genetics plays a role in determining the variety and number of nerve fibers that function to receive stimuli from the spicy taste. The fewer special nerve fibers to receive stimuli from the spicy taste, the stronger a person is to eat these foods, even the level of spiciness can increase.
Even though a person has many nerve fibers to receive stimuli from spicy taste - making the person unable to stand the spicy taste - you can apply the ability to eat spicy food by getting used to eating it. Therefore, the environment also affects a person's tolerance for spicy taste.
The influence of the surrounding environment
If you like spicy food, take a look at your neighborhood and your family. Do they also eat spicy foods on average? Yes, food tastes in the family greatly affect a person's diet. If you were born in a family and environment that likes spicy taste, then you will tend to choose foods with the same taste preferences. It can become a habit and even be "passed down".
