Collin Smolke
Professor Scott Olsen
IWC 100
11 November, 2022
The Psychology of Eating Spicy Foods
Spicy foods are a major part of modern diets. Even though they cause physical pain to the consumer, people still eat them anyway. Some people go as far as to intentionally seek out the spiciest food they can find so they can eat it for a challenge or YouTube video, or to entertain their friends. Deliberately seeking out something that is known to cause pain seems counterintuitive, yet people do it anyway. Even people who live in areas that do not traditionally use spicy foods in their everyday meals still try to eat these exceptionally hot foods for fun and sport, and sometimes even just for normal food. There are a multitude of reasons why people would want to eat these fruits, including health benefits, and internet clout, but deliberately causing oneself pain does not seem like something a majority of people desire in their daily lives.
To understand why people enjoy eating spicy foods, it is important to first understand what makes some foods spicy, and why some are spicier than others. According to the article “Understand spiciness: mechanism of TRPV1 channel activation by capsaicin”, by Fan Yang and Jie Zheng from the University of California’s Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, the spiciness in certain foods like chile peppers comes from a type of chemical known as capsaicin (Yang and Zheng). The capsaicin binds to special receptors in the mouth known as TRPV1 receptors, which is short for “transient receptor potential vanilloid 1”.
Capsaicin molecules bind themselves to these receptors. These TRPV1 receptors are responsible for causing the burning sensation commonly associated with spicy foods when paired with capsaicin molecules. They send signals to the brain that causes the tongue to feel a burning pain (Yang and Zheng). In other words, the spiciness in food feels as if the consumer’s mouth was actually burning. This begs the question of why someone would want their mouth to feel like it is on fire. According to “A Matter of Taste: Capsaicinoid Diversity in Chile Peppers and the Importance to Human Food Preference”, by Ivette Guzmán and Paul W. Bosland, it is thought that the reason humans and other mammals have a painful reaction to capsaicin is a method used by the peppers to deter consumption, while promoting consumption by animals like birds that will spread the plant’s seeds and allow for reproduction. Birds do not have TRPV1 receptors, so they are unable to feel the pain caused by capsaicin (Guzmán and Bosland). It is also important to note that, according to Yang and Zheng, humans are the only known species that deliberately seeks out spicy food with the intention of eating it only because it is spicy. Other animals may eat spicy foods, like the aforementioned birds, but this is not because they are deliberately seeking out spiciness (Yang and Zheng). This is to the benefit of the plant because, in theory, nobody would want to willingly eat a fruit that causes the consumer’s mouth to feel like it is on fire.
Beyond the basic mechanics of spiciness, it is also important to understand the way the spiciness of foods is measured. The article “Rating Chili Peppers On A Scale Of 1 To Oh Dear God I’m On Fire”, by Anna Maria Barry-Jester, explains that the spiciness of a pepper is measured using the Scoville Scale. When explaining how the Scoville Scale is used to determine spiciness, Barry-Jester says, A measured amount of capsaicin oil is extracted from a pepper using an alcohol solution. Five experienced human testers are gathered and sugar water is added to shot glasses of the capsaicin until three out of five panelists can no longer perceive any heat. The Scoville heat unit (SHU) rating is then assigned based on the quantity of dilution, with the ratings working on a linear scale: a 350,000 SHU habanero is 100 times hotter than a 3,500 SHU jalapeño. (Barry-Jester)
When seeking out extremely spicy foods, people will look for the peppers with the highest Scoville rating. This often leads to people eating foods like the ghost peppers, Trinidad Scorpions, or habaneros, all of which are infamous for being some of the hottest peppers. Some people may even go as far as to try eating what is officially considered the hottest pepper in the world in terms of Scoville rating, the Carolina Reaper. The Carolina Reaper has a ridiculously high Scoville rating of 1,569,300, according to the 2017 Guiness Book of World Records (Lynch). This makes the Carolina Reaper anywhere from 196 to 784 times hotter than an average jalapeño, which can have a Scoville rating of anywhere from 2000 to 8000, depending on the jalapeño plant’s growing conditions. The Scoville scale is not limited to just peppers, as it can be used to determine the heat level of chemicals that are related to capsaicin. According to the article “Capsicum — production, technology, chemistry, and quality. Part V. Impact on physiology, pharmacology, nutrition, and metabolism; structure, pungency, pain, and desensitization sequences”, pure capsaicin has a Scoville rating of 16 million, or over 10 times hotter than and average Carolina Reaper (Govindarajan and Sathyanarayana). The hottest known capsaicin-related chemical is known as resiniferatoxin, and according to the article “Transcriptional Changes in Dorsal Spinal Cord Persist after Surgical Incision Despite Preemptive Analgesia with Peripheral Resiniferatoxin”, has a Scoville rating of 16 billion, which is one thousand times hotter than pure capsaicin (Raithal, et al.). This is high enough for the chemical to cause actual lasting damage to the consumer, instead of just causing a painful reaction like a pepper would. Using this scale, it is possible to compare different peppers and determine which one the consumer would like to eat.
Along with the burning pain, there are a number of other side effects caused by eating extremely spicy foods. According to the National Capital Poison Center, some negative side effects of capsaicin include “nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and a burning sensation when ingested” (McDaniel-Price). In addition, capsaicin can also cause irritation when it comes into contact with skin. Furthermore, if any of the capsaicin manages to get in the eye, it can cause severe pain, inflammation, and tearing, depending on the amount that made contact with the person’s eye (McDaniel-Price). These symptoms are a major risk when consuming excessively hot foods, and should be taken into account when eating them in any amount, especially peppers like the Carolina Reaper, which are known to cause these symptoms with even a sliver of the fruit. However, even though these symptoms are undesirable, they almost never cause any major lasting damage. Because of the knowledge that no actual harm is being done, people are far more likely to attempt to eat hot peppers.
One possible reason why people intentionally seek out spicy foods is for medicinal purposes and perceived health benefits. According to Guzmán and Bosland, capsaicin also creates beta-carotene (Guzmán and Bosland). Links between low carotene consumption and Alzheimer’s disease and dementia have been found, according to the study “Relationship between Serum and Brain Carotenoids, α-Tocopherol, and Retinol Concentrations and Cognitive Performance in the Oldest Old from the Georgia Centenarian Study”, conducted by Elizabeth Johnson and her team of researchers from Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy in Boston. The study found that people who consumed more of the carotenoids found in spicy peppers had a significantly lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease (Johnson, et al.). Similarly, the person who created the aforementioned Carolina Reaper, Ed Currie, mentioned in an interview that he had heard that consuming capsaicin could help fight cancer. During an interview with Guiness World Records, he says, somewhat humorously, “My family dies from cancer a lot, so I’ve been researching how not to die” (Lynch). Some temporary pain in exchange for a lower chance of dying from cancer does seem like a very good trade off. Furthermore, the National Library of Medicine lists capsaicin as a method of treating nerve pain in people with diabetes, shingles, as well as chronic pain. It goes further, listing many other benefits of capsaicin, including helping relieve cluster headaches, osteoarthritis, and back pain, among many others (“Capsicum”).
These health benefits may be a major reason why people intentionally seek out these foods, especially considering the prevalence of diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s in the modern world. There are likely many people who would be willing to do nearly anything if it meant being rid of these diseases, and would find something as simple as eating a pepper as a perfectly acceptable method to improve their chances of “trying not to die”, as Currie would describe it.
Even though these health benefits exist, they are not very well known among the general population. A second reason people may want to eat spicy foods is for popularity on the internet, as well as monetary gain. A quick search on YouTube for the term “Carolina Reaper challenge” will show a massive number of videos, all of which are of people eating the “hottest pepper”. As an example of the amount of exposure one of these videos can get if done well, the video “World’s Hottest Pepper Challenge”, uploaded by the channel Good Mythical Morning, has amassed over 31 million views since it was uploaded in September of 2014 (Levine, et al.). Another video, titled “Chilli Eating Contest Bath Chilli Festival Sat 26 Sept 2015 ” from the channel Clifton Chilli Club, has managed to amass over 130 million views since it was uploaded back in September of 2015 (Clifton). Because of the method YouTube uses to monetize the ad revenue from videos, each view of the video would give the uploader a small amount of money. Influencer Marketing Hub’s YouTube monetization calculator shows that a video with over 31 million views would make $57,833 through ad revenue The video with 130 million views would have earned the uploader $241,804 (Geyser). This shows that monetary gain may be a massive factor in the popularity of spicy foods. Given that the average yearly salary in America is $49,764, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are likely many people who would be willing to have what will likely be a miserable experience that lasts for several hours in exchange for over a year’s worth of salary. With $241,804, most people would be able to fully pay off college loans or buy a small house, so it is no wonder that people would want to find some method of earning that money with a relatively easy and cheap method. It also benefits the viewers, who apparently enjoy watching the suffering of other people for their entertainment. The viewers are provided with free entertainment, and in exchange, the uploader is given money from YouTube, so both parties involved will benefit in some way.
A mutually beneficial setup like YouTube monetization ensures that people will continue doing these challenges, which in turn means that people will continue to be drawn to spicy foods. Additionally, some people may be intentionally trying to build a tolerance to extremely hot foods. According to Matt Bray from PepperScale.com, it is possible to build up a tolerance to spicy foods by eating it regularly (Bray). This is similar to building a tolerance to alcohol or drugs, with the main difference being that the only harmful effect of capsaicin does not actually damage the body. Even if the experience is incredibly painful, no lasting damage is being done to the consumer’s body. Being able to develop a tolerance to hotter and hotter peppers will make eating the extremely hot foods much more bearable, which could be useful when doing one of those YouTube challenges. In fact, most pepper experts recommend building up a tolerance to capsaicin before even attempting one of these challenges. In an article from Bray, titled “Carolina Reaper Guide: Heat, Flavor, Uses”, Bray compares the tolerance levels of jalapeños and Carolina Reapers by saying, “don’t jump to the Carolina Reaper from a jalapeño heat tolerance level or even a cayenne tolerance level. They don’t live in the same zip code. In fact, they aren’t even on the same planet” (Bray). This extreme difference in heat level shows that people who are thinking about attempting these YouTube challenges would be well advised to build up some form of extreme tolerance to capsaicin before even considering eating a Carolina Reaper for a video.
It also demonstrates just how hot the spiciest peppers are in comparison to a pepper that is already widely considered to be quite spicy. Saying that these two peppers are not even on the same planet in terms of heat is a very indicator of the amount of tolerance a person needs to build up to be able to properly tolerate a Carolina Reaper.
Despite being known for causing burning pain, spicy peppers remain one of the most popular types of food. Between their health benefits, popularity on the internet, and potential for silly challenges, peppers have become a mainstay in modern culture. Even the hottest of these fruits have made their mark on society by providing people with entertainment at the expense of someone having a very bad time. Even so, the person having a bad time is likely being paid for their trouble, so they would view the ordeal as completely worth it. All of these examples go to show that even though something can cause pain, people will be willing to try it if they see that there is some sort of benefit. Because of this, peppers have their place in the world, and should not be written off as something as simple as just a fruit that causes pain.
Works Cited
Barry-Jester, Anna Maria. “Rating Chili Peppers On A Scale Of 1 To Oh Dear God I’m On Fire.” FiveThirtyEight, 15 October 2014, https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/rating-chili-peppers-on-a-scale-of-1-to-oh-dear-god-im-on-fire/. Accessed 10 December 2022.
Bray, Matt. “Carolina Reaper Guide: Heat, Flavor, Uses.” PepperScale, 24 March 2022, https://www.pepperscale.com/carolina-reaper/. Accessed 12 December 2022.
“Capsaicin: When the “Chili” Is Too Hot.” Poison Control, https://www.poison.org/articles/capsaicin-when-the-chili-is-too-hot. Accessed 13 December 2022.
“Capsicum.” MedlinePlus, https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/natural/945.html. Accessed 12 December 2022.
“Chilli Eating Contest Bath Chilli Festival Sat 26 Sept 2015 ” YouTube 27 September 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbG2RuQsAO4. Accessed 12 December 2022
Geyser, Werner. “YouTube Money Calculator – See How Much Money You Can Make.” Influencer Marketing Hub, 16 September 2022, https://influencermarketinghub.com/youtube-money-calculator/. Accessed 10 December 2022.
Govindarajan, V. S., & Sathyanarayana, M. N. (1991). Capsicum — production, technology, chemistry, and quality. part V. impact on physiology, pharmacology, nutrition, and metabolism; structure, pungency, pain, and desensitization sequences. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 29(6), 435–474. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408399109527536
Guzmán, Ivette, and Paul W. Bosland. “A Matter of Taste: Capsaicinoid Diversity in Chile Peppers and the Importance to Human Food Preference.” IntechOpen, 1 August 2018, https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/61453. Accessed 10 December 2022.
Johnson, Elizabeth J., et al. “Relationship between Serum and Brain Carotenoids, α-Tocopherol, and Retinol Concentrations and Cognitive Performance in the Oldest Old from the Georgia Centenarian Study.” Hindawi, https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jar/2013/951786/. Accessed 10 December 2022.
Levine, Stevie Wynne, et al. “World’s Hottest Pepper Challenge: Carolina Reaper.” YouTube, 30 September 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb-QVfwCmYg. Accessed 10 December 2022.
Lynch, Kevin. “Confirmed: Smokin Ed’s Carolina Reaper sets new record for hottest chilli.” Guinness World Records, 19 November 2013, https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2013/11/confirmed-smokin-eds-carolina-reaper-sets-new-record-for-hottest-chilli-53033. Accessed 13 December 2022.
Raithel, Stephen J., et al. “Transcriptional Changes in Dorsal Spinal Cord Persist after Surgical Incision despite Preemptive Analgesia with Peripheral Resiniferatoxin.” Anesthesiology, vol. 128, no. 3, 2018, pp. 620–635., https://doi.org/10.1097/aln.0000000000002006.
“What Is the Average Salary in the USA?” Indeed, 1 March 2021, https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/pay-salary/average-salary-usa. Accessed 10 December 2022.
Yang, F., & Zheng, J. (2017). Understand spiciness: Mechanism of TRPV1 channel activation by capsaicin. Protein & Cell, 8(3), 169–177. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13238-016-0353-7