The nature and acquisition of a preference for chili pepper by humans

Paul Rozin and Deborah Schiller studied how people in a Mexican village and in the United States came to enjoy chilli, a food that literally sets off pain sensors in the mouth.

Chilli lovers didn’t feel the burn any less; they had learned to enjoy it, often starting gently in childhood. It’s a bit like enjoying a scary film: a thrill you know is safe.