Why Do Some People Tolerate Spicy Food?

Some people can eat raw jalapeños like they're apples. Why do some people have a high tolerance for spicy food while others can't stand it?

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[kwek]

I am sensitive to spice but I want to eat again and again until I'm tolerant of it

[liwall]

You've missed the part where the capaicin triggers endorphins, first the pain then the pleasure

[hassanalinoo]

I have eaten spicy food since I was a baby. This is why I enjoy it

[davidreynolds]

Anyone else bothered by his hoodie's drawstrings being uneven?

[depreciatednull]

Because we are elite demi-gods with a highly elevated pallet of taste that you mere humans cannot comprehend.

[BellaCW]

For me, the spice is a way to release stress. When you eat spicy food your whole body becomes hot and it has the same effect as a hot bath (at least for me). It relaxes all my muscles and gets rid of headaches and muscle pain instantly. That's why I love spicy food even though I'm a swede who grew up on lightly salted fish and potato.

[Master_Therion]

Ah, but some peppers taste cold... chilly peppers...

[ahorrell]

How do americans tolerate so much sugar? Or high fructose corn syrup, as the case may be. When I was in the States, everything was suuuuper sweet

[Leon-pqot]

I don't know why, but capsaicin feels like an excellent word to make a song about.

[FajitaJim]

For me, once my tongue and lips are tingling its like my taste buds go into hyper drive: I can taste all the individual components of my food instead of just the overall mushed-together taste of, say, taco. Once I'm burning I can taste the meat, the lettuce, the cheese and especially the tomato and sour cream.

I find this effect most pronounced in chili, where instead of just tasting chili mush I can taste beans, meat and whatever else someone decided to toss in.

I can eat peppers like pickles, though. The only reason I don't eat more than I do is because it does have to come out, and it doesn't lose much of its potency on the way though you.

[Darshanaz]

All the time my friends or someone come to my home for a dinner they complain a lot about how spicy food is, when i go to their dinners their foods taste like they prepared it for kids. Me and my family folks have very high tolerance for spicy foods.

[alexamarina]

I’m Mexican, we love spicy things.
Everybody born with a love for spicy.
¡Viva México Lindo y Querido!

[Goldenheart_]

I love spicy and sour foods, idk why, they're just SO good! I sometimes drink lemon water, just, water and lemon juice... I love the taste :3

[fernandocortesmacias]

Here in Mexico we have the stereotype that people can stand spicy food like it was ice cream, and it's true in my case but a friend of mine can't stand even the "chamoy", and we call him a fake mexican ): Maybe you don't care but I thought it was a funny story

[GoldieLoqs]

I used to be sensitive to anything spicy. My mouth, lips, and even the skin around my lips would turn bright red and the burn was intense! I wanted to be like my older bro and eat hot/spicy food. So, he told me to start drinking Tobasco sauce as a starter. I did it, often, and now I can eat (and enjoy!) super-spicy foods and sauces. Edit: I'm not saying people should drink hot sauce. Be careful! I'm just telling the story of how I got used to spicy stuff.

[JoshuaHillerup]

I enjoy spicy food, but for various reasons I didn't have it very much. Then a few months ago I started having at least one meal a day near my spice tolerance, and now things taste *way* less spicy than they used to. Like, I used to be able to handle just a few drops of Sriracha with my food, and now it just mostly tastes salty to me.

[zeromailss]

I love spicy food! they taste great!

but my stomach disagree with me 😢

[TheRedKnight]

I don't tolerate spicy food, i'm addicted to spicy food.

[Edsel]

A guy I used to work with once said, "I'm an Irish boy. Red jello is too spicy for me."

[thestrangequark]

The real question is how do people tolerate the all the salt we endure in our everyday lives?