What's your opinion on spicy food? Some people cannot handle even the smallest amount of the chili (辣椒) in their dinner while others can't get enough of it.
Scientists have long been puzzled by why some people love chilies while others loathe them. Plenty of research has been done on the subject, dating as far back as the 1970s. Previous results showed that a love of chilies is related to childhood experiences, and cultural influences affect our taste buds, too. But the latest study has found that a person's love of spicy food may be linked to his or her personality more than anything else, CBC News reported.
"We have always assumed that liking drives intake——we eat what we like and we like what we eat. But no one has actually directly bothered to connect these personality traits (特点) with the intake of chili peppers," said Professor John Hayes from Pennsylvania State University, who led the study.
But before you look at the study, you should first know that "spicy" is not a taste, unlike sour, sweet, bitter and salty. It is, in fact, a burning sensation that you feel on the surface of your tongue. This got scientists thinking that maybe a love of spicy food is brought about by people's longing for thrills, something they usually get from watching action movies or riding a roller coaster.
In the study, 97 participants, both male and female, were asked to fill out questionnaires about certain traits of their personalities, for example, whether they like new experiences or tend to avoid risks. They were then given cups of water with capsaicin, the plant chemical that makes chilies burn, mixed into them.
By comparing the answers to the questionnaires and what participants said they felt about the spicy water, researchers found that those who were most tended to enjoy action movies or take risks were about six times more likely to enjoy the spicy water.
Interestingly, we used to believe that the reason why some people can withstand spicy food is that their tongues have become less sensitive to it. However, this latest study has found otherwise. "It's not that it doesn't burn as badly, but it's that you actually learn to like the burn," explained Hayes.
Developing table manners (be) one of the earliest steps parents can take in teaching and showing good behavior to their children. Compared with families that seldom eat together, families that eat together most days of the week tend to be (healthy).
Experts hold the belief teaching table manners can start when a child is eating independently out of the high chair or old enough to sit at the table. Table manners (teach) in the early stages include teaching kids to avoid reaching across the table, eating from their own plates, and saying "please" and "thank you".
Family meals provide good chances (show) and teach good manners. Kids can be taught to politely say it when they don't like something. Also, young kids often can't sit the whole meal, but can learn to properly dismiss (they), rather than interrupt the meal. Besides, never correct manners in inappropriate way and explain to kids why you practice manners, such as why we chew our mouth closed. In (add), everyone at the table should be allowed to be part of a positive conversation. Keep it lighthearted and (interest) and talk about positive things at the table.
