A Perk of Our Evolution: Pleasure in Pain of Chilies

This article in The New York Times playfully explores the mystery in the human taste for hot peppers. The favorite theory of the author turns out to be that we indulge in a mild form of masochism. Maybe — there is some evidence that supports this. But, as I’ve noticed in other articles on the subject, the simple fact that the peppers taste good seems to be neglected. The authors are distracted by the capsaicin, which has no taste, and assume that it must be the burn that’s the main attraction. But for me, the pain, although perhaps part of the fun, is mainly a distraction from the wonderful flavors of the various peppers.

Odder still, this article contains the strange assertion “The fact that capsaicin causes pain to mammals seems to be accidental. There’s no evolutionary percentage in preventing animals from eating the peppers”. It goes on to state, correctly, that “Birds, which also eat fruits, don’t have the same biochemical pain pathway, so they don’t suffer at all from capsaicin” and points out the well-established function of capsaicin in protecting the peppers from fungus. But there is a promient, although unproven, theory that a distinct evolutionary advantage arises from attracting birds while repelling mammals: birds disperse seeds when they eat fruit, while mammals are more likely to destroy the seeds in their digestive pathways, and, even if the seeds survive, mammals are less mobile and therefore less effective dispersers.