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Officially known in my family as “Baby Spice”. No, my grown kids aren’t comparing me to one of the Spice Girls, the pop music group that wowed young fans in the 1990s. I got that nickname because I’m a total sissy when it comes to eating things that are too hot.
“Isn’t that sauce spicy?” I always ask before ordering at a restaurant. “Oh, no, that’s not true,” I reassure myself every time.
When the food comes, everyone at the table rolls their eyes as they see me gasping and choking for water, but it doesn’t help.
“Here, eat a piece of bread,” one of my children says resignedly. “Yes, I would like to exchange meals.”
I don’t think I’m the only one who feels disgusted. However, many people prefer hot and spicy foods. The spicier the better. Some people seek out all-white foods, excited to take on the challenge of digesting the hottest chili peppers on the planet.
“There’s no spice I can’t handle, go ahead,” my husband would say. He sat down and happily ate the food, with only a few beads of sweat on his forehead.
Why do these extremes exist in human behavior? New research suggests that these reactions may be due to how expectations shape sensory experiences. In other words, it may be that we find spicy food overwhelming because we expect it to be spicy.
“Expectation has great power,” says Dr. Susan Albers, a clinical psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio who was not involved in the study.
“Depending on how you anticipate the taste, you can make the burning sensation a pleasurable or unpleasant experience.”
The study results were published Tuesday in the journal PLOS BiologyChinese researchers scanned the brains of 24 people who liked spicy food and 22 people who didn’t.
In brain imaging, each subject was given 30 doses of mild and strong hot sauce, followed by water, and simultaneously exposed to two blue-colored chili peppers. The participants couldn’t tell how spicy the hot sauce was because of the peppers.
I then repeated the test using the same hot sauce. But this time, participants received two red peppers when they poured the spiciest sauce into their mouths, one red and one green pepper when they were given the milder sauce, and one red and green pepper when they were offered water. Two green bell peppers were shown to each child.
In people who said they liked hot and spicy foods, parts of the brain associated with pleasure were activated. Often, the spicier the spice, the more intense the pleasure.
The brains of people who hate spice did not. When the hot sauce was administered in both trials, their pain centers were activated. However, on the second trial, when participants knew they would be given the spiciest sauce, their pain experience increased dramatically.
“We were surprised by how strongly negative expectations amplified the brain’s pain response, even though the stimulus was the same,” said Yi Luo, researcher and first author of the paper. . Graduated from the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science at East China Normal University in Shanghai.
“This highlights how our anticipation of discomfort significantly intensifies the experience of pain,” Luo said in a statement.
There are other reasons, such as genetics, why we prefer one type of food over another. Using cilantro as an example, some people with certain genes say cilantro tastes like soap, while others enjoy the taste.
“Some of it may be expectations, but some of it may be due to the biology of how we experience food,” Albers said. “We all taste the exact same foods in completely different ways. Your taste preferences are like a fingerprint, completely unique.”
My family will be thrilled if I transform from a spice wimp to a spice lover. Because then the whole family will be able to enjoy a little more spicy food (and I’ll stop stealing my family’s non-spicy meals).
If you want to change the way you think about spices, too, here are Albers’ suggestions.
Reframe negative associations: If you hate spicy food, try approaching it with curiosity rather than disgust, Albers said: “This shift in thinking may change your perception and experience.” yeah.”
Experiment with different spices. Focus on the full sensory experience, she said. Observe the flavor, texture, and heat of different spices without judgement.
Use visual cues carefully. Pay attention to how visual cues to food, such as menu descriptions and food presentation, affect expectations, Albers said. Use this awareness to manage your expectations of spicy experiences.
“Take paprika. Some people believe it’s spicy because it’s red, but that’s not true,” Albers said. “Kurry is a different type of spice than chili pepper, so remember that expectations can greatly impact your experience.”
Listen to your body: When eating spicy food, check your body’s reaction. Pay attention to where you feel heat and how it changes over time to understand your tolerance and enjoyment standards.
“If you want to increase your tolerance to spices, do it slowly and carefully. Start with mild spices and gradually increase the spices,” Albers said. “There’s no ‘right’ level of spiciness. It’s about what feels good to you.”
Pair spicy foods wisely. Consider balancing spicy flavors with cooling elements like cheese and bread. Eat small portions at first, says Albers.
“This increases the overall enjoyment and makes the experience more manageable,” she said.
What about Team Spice? Something may be too hot.
in scoville scalewhich measures the spiciness of a chili pepper, the Carolina Reaper chili pepper is approximately 1.7 million Scoville heat units, while the Naga Viper is approximately 1.4 million Scoville heat units. Jalapeno peppers have an average Scoville rating of 3,500 to 8,000 units.
“Spicy foods can increase your metabolism and heart rate, which can cause vomiting and stomach pain, so there’s definitely a physiological response going on,” Albers says.
“If your heart rate becomes very fast or you start sweating profusely, spicy foods may not be right for you.”
