My wife can swear that her mouth is on fire after eating certain foods, but when I try the same exact food I often barely detect the heat she’s talking about.
I wasn’t always like this, it was an acquired taste. Sweet chilli used to be hot to me, now I dabble with habanero, naga, etc so I know something has changed physiologically…what was it?
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Your nerves have literally been deadened.
No, that’s not a metaphor. That’s the literal definition of literally.
The primary, “This is hot!” molecule is capsaicin. Most mammals (including humans) have nerves that are sensitive to this chemical, and their reaction to capsaicin is what fuels the sensation of burning that spicy foods give. As you eat more and more spicy foods, those nerve receptors become deadened, the ends of them literally shriveling down. So it takes more and more capsaicin to get the same impact.
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