Chapter 1. The Red Hot Chili-Eating Contest: Sensitivity...

Short Description

A chili-eating contest in the American Midwest raises important questions about our sense of taste. Researcher Paul Rozin has studied why we return to foods that are innately unpleasant. For example, the champion of the contest is back to defend his title. He reports his record is 22 chili peppers.

Long Description

A chili-eating contest in the American Midwest raises important questions about our sense of taste. Researcher Paul Rozin has studied why we return to foods that are innately unpleasant. For example, the champion of the contest is back to defend his title. He reports his record is 22 chili peppers. The contest begins and the narrator reports how the first bite stimulates pain receptors in his tongue. The bitter chemical capsaicin produces a burning sensation that seems to radiate through other parts of the body. An increase in blood flow turns face and neck red. Perspiration flows freely. Yet, people repeatedly return to eat the peppers. This time the winner eats a total of 24. Paul Rozin reports that people in every culture perform activities that are painful or innately unpleasant. For some, it is a roller coaster ride. The thrill of such activities, suggests Rozin, may convince you that you are above your body. Ultimately, however, thrill-seekers must feel safe or they will not enjoy the activity. We may come to like chili peppers because they allow us to push our limits without doing any lasting harm to our bodies. Rozin reports that people show their greatest liking for the pepper that falls just below the one they find intolerable.

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