Why does salt make everything taste better? Why do humans like it?
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Salt plays an important role in a very large amount of biological processes (blood pressure, neuron depolarization, etc.) and is not storable in the body like how carbohydrates can be. This means there were evolutionary pressures for land creatures to have a desire for some salt intake. There’s a feedback loop pathway controlled by the hormones renin and angiotensin, which affects someone’s need for salt intake.
There’s various (though not well understood) mechanisms for increasing flavor. Salt can decrease water activity, thereby increasing the concentration of other molecules in food. It can also suppress the feeling of bitter tastes, which increases perceived taste.
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