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"Habanero."
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Why is it that some people like spicy food and some people hate it?
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"Oh, man."
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How does that work?
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"I regret it."
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Most spiciness is caused by one of two chemicals: Allylisothiocyanite, which is what you find in wasabi or mustard, and capsaicin, which is what you find in peppers.
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Plants usually use these to fend off predators like ants or fungi who would otherwise destroy their seeds before they had the chance to spread.
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"It's like a snake bit my tongue."
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So why do you feel that burning sensation when you're eating spice?
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"When I swallow I feel it on the back of my throat"
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Almost like there's actual temperature change going on?
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"Yeah, if I don't talk it's actually better. You can definitely feel heat build inside your face."
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Well, the way your body reacts to capsaicin is the same way it reacts to high temperatures.
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"A chunk just went down my throat."
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(Off-screen) "So, what is the feeling you have right now?"
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"Regret."
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"Starting to regulate my heartbeat."
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Your palate is essentially being tricked into thinking that it's actually burning.
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Receptors in the throat and the mouth and the tongue detect the presence of the capsaicin and they send pain signals to the other parts of the body.
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"Breathing in and out hurts."
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"I'm starting to cry."
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When you consume capsaicin, your body releases endorphins which are natural stress-fighters.
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People learn to like spice by associating the pain of capsaicin with the positive rush of endorphins.
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"I feel like, I'm like gassed from a marathon."
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We rate spice with the Scoville scale which was invented by an american pharmacist named Wilbur Scoville back in 1912.
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Bell peppers are at the bottom with zero.
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Jalapeno peppers range anywhere from 2500 to 10,000 which is actually pretty low on the scale.
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Jump to two million and you've got standard US-grade pepper spray.
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And pure capsaicin clocks in at 15 million. That's $*%#ing hot.
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We've been eating spicy food for about six thousand years.
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If you think about the genres of food that are usually spicy like Mexican, Indian, and Thai, they're all very hot regions and there are a couple reasons for that.
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Cooking with spice traditionally helped get rid of bacteria that could make people sick.
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Especially in places with high humidity and heat.
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"I'm sweating right now."
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"Oh, s*&#, it's getting worse actually."
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And the next time you're sweating from a particularly spicy bite, don't go for water, it's almost totally useless.
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What you need is milk, yogurt, rice, liquor or even peanut butter.
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Oils, fats, and alcohol all help dissolve the capsaicin.
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Water just doesn't.
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"It helps."
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Your receptors don't dull or get any less sensitive the more spicy we eat.
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"In 30 minutes, we're all going to be laughing about this. I read on the Internet that this helps."
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Your body just has to learn to associate the pain with pleasure.
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"It hurts but it tastes really good."
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"Yeah, it was worth the pain. All the burps just taste like delicious spicy food."