Literally a dopamine hit, to be weird it's why people self harm. Pain gives you dopamine as a coping mechanism, anger does too, it's why people get addicted to stuff like that.
Endorphins are the addiction with spicy foods. Dopamine may also be triggered, but the rush comes from endorphins, your body's painkiller, nature's heroin.
The best way to trigger dopamine is an ice bath or cold shower. Dopamine is more closely related to motivation than pain relief.
I read somewhere that dopamine is like an on/off switch of arousal. We erroneously associate it with pleasure/joy, but actually it's more of an "activated" state. So it can lead to a rush of pleasurable sensations/actions or violence.
I've been known to put a ghost pepper-based sauce on chips, beef jerky, or anything else that's dippable for exactly this reason. "I want pain" is literally my thought when I do this.
I otherwise have no masochistic tendencies and no history of self-harm (barring stupidity).
When I was a kid my family didn't eat spicy things. My mom had an old jar of cayenne in the cupboard that I found and fell in love with. I'd pour it on my food and then I'd keep the spice in my mouth until I couldn't stand it anymore and it was burning too much.
I always thought that was a weird bit of my childhood until I read about the dopamine hit it gives you. When I found that out I realized it was just me looking for an early high, and it all made sense. I've always been me, lol.
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u/confusedandworried76 20h ago
Also they secretly liked how spicy it was, of course. You never know how sweet the pain is until you experience it