Spices and personality: any connection?

CHICAGO –  Amongst new studies presented at the annual meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists in July, one evaluated the connection between personality types and their preference for bland or spicy foods. At the same discussion, the idea of combining sensates (hot and tingling) in chili foods may be of interest to food manufacturers.

In her research, Nadia Byrnes, MS, a doctoral candidate at Pennsylvania State University, conducted a study of 184 participants --  nonsmokers ages 18 to 45 without any known issues that would compromise their ability to taste, primarily Caucasian and slightly more women than men (63%).

The Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking (AISS) test evaluated the personality trait of sensation-seeking, defined as desiring novel and intense stimulation and presumed to contribute to risk preferences. Group subjects who score above the mean AISS score are considered more open to risks and new experiences; those scoring below the mean are considered less open to those things.

The subjects were given 25 micrometres of capsaicin, the active component of chili peppers, and were asked to rate how much they liked a spicy meal as the burn from the capsaicin increased in intensity. Those in the group who fell below the mean AISS rapidly disliked the meal as the burn increased. People who were above the mean AISS had a consistently high liking of the meal even as the burn increased. Those in the mean group liked the meal less as the burn increased, but not nearly as rapidly as those below the mean.

“Theoretically, we know that burn intensity and liking are linear related. The more irritating a compound or food gets, the less people should like it,” she said. “But that’s not always the case.”

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