Spiciness and Fear
---vocab-3
Scared: feeling afraid,
Threat: a danger,
Safe: Not in danger,
Response: A reaction,
Accomplishment: a success
---text
Spiciness is not a taste, like sweet or sour. It is a feeling of pain and heat. In chili peppers, a chemical called capsaicin causes this feeling. This chemical activates special sensors (neurons) in your mouth. These are the same sensors that feel high temperatures. Because of this, your brain thinks your mouth is actually burning!
---questions-3
Q: Is "spicy" a taste, like sweet or salty?
A: Yes, it is a taste.
A: No, it is a feeling of pain and heat. [correct]
A: It is a taste only in chili peppers.
Q: What chemical in chili peppers causes the burning feeling?
A: Menthol
A: Capsaicin [correct]
A: Sinus
Q: What does your brain think when you eat spicy food?
A: It thinks your mouth is cold.
A: It thinks you are eating something sweet.
A: It thinks your mouth is burning. [correct]
Q: Spicy food sensors are the same sensors that feel...
A: high temperatures. [correct]
A: sweet tastes.
A: loud noises.
---text
Not all spicy food is the same. Chili peppers (like jalapeños) and black pepper burn your mouth. This is because their spicy chemicals are large and heavy. But wasabi and mustard feel different. Their chemicals are small and light. They float up into your nose. This is why wasabi burns your sinuses (your nose) and chili peppers burn your tongue.
---questions-2
Q: Why does wasabi burn your nose?
A: Its chemicals are large and heavy.
A: Its chemicals are small and light, so they float. [correct]
A: It does not burn your nose, it burns your tongue.
Q: Why do chili peppers burn your mouth?
A: Their chemicals are small and light.
A: Their chemicals are large and heavy. [correct]
A: Their chemicals float into your nose.
---text
When your body feels a threat (like a big roller coaster), it starts a "fight-or-flight" response. This is an automatic reaction. Chemicals are released in your body. These chemicals give you energy and stop you from feeling pain. This feeling is very similar to excitement or happiness. The big difference is the context (the situation). If you are in real danger, you are focused on survival. But if you are in a safe place (you know the roller coaster will not really hurt you), your brain can enjoy this feeling. It's like a natural "high."
---questions-3
Q: The "fight-or-flight" response makes us feel...
A: tired and sleepy.
A: energetic and ready. [correct]
A: hungry.
Q: It is fun to be scared when...
A: you are in real danger.
A: you are alone.
A: you are in a safe place. [correct]
Q: Fear is always a bad feeling.
A: True
A: False [correct]
Q: The fight-or-flight response is an automatic ___________.
A: reaction [correct]
A: chemical
A: danger
Q: The chemicals from this response give you energy and stop you from feeling _____.
A: happy
A: pain [correct]
A: safe
---cloze-3
When you eat a chili pepper, it burns your *mouth*. When you eat wasabi, it burns your *nose*. Your body thinks it is hot, so you start to *sweat*. Spicy food activates receptors for heat and *pain*. Your *brain* actually thinks your body is burning.
