Why Do People Eat And Enjoy Spicy Food?

As it turns out, there are a lot of theories as of to why people in different cultures eat spicy food and enjoy it... Or don't. One theory is that the spiciness deters mammals from eating them, but encourages birds to eat these spicy foods, such as hot peppers. This is because birds are better at distributing seeds than mammals, so the plants evolved to appeal to birds. So, this explains why many people don't like spicy foods, because they aren't supposed to. But why do people go against this evolutionary result and eat them anyway?

It's usually people who live in cultures that have hotter climates that enjoy spicy foods. A theory that suggests why this is, is because it encourages sweating, which is what the body does in order to cool down. This is likely why cultures in hot climates enjoy foods that are as hot as the temperature.

But why do some people actually enjoy the taste of hot foods? Not looking at evolutionary purpose, or advantages, some people genuinely like spicy food, while others don't. The most probable theory is genetics. Some people are born as "super tasters," which simply means that they perceive tastes much stronger than others, and they're less likely to enjoy spicy food. There are other contributing factors, including cultural influence (people grow up eating it, and grow to enjoy it) and thrill-seeking personalities (they like the increased heart rate and the fight or flight response to hot foods). All of it influences a person's preference for spicy foods, or lack thereof.

All of that being said, I'm not a huge fan of spicy food. Sorry.

JT Surge

Bibliography:

http://www.mindthesciencegap.org/2013/03/20/some-like-it-hot-part-1-why-do-some-people-have-a-preference-for-spicy-foods/

http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/15sbtb/why_do_people_like_spicy_food/