A study conducted last year at Nanjing University in China found that you can predict your risk-taking behaviour from your food preferences – specifically, from answering a single question… How much do you like spicy food?
Answer on a scale of 1 (strongly dislike) to 7 (strongly like). If your response was 1 or 2 you are risk-averse and tend to play it safe; 3 you are averagely risk-taking; 4 or 5 you like to roll the dice now and again; and 6 or 7 you are a thrillseeker.
The study found that, even after controlling for (essentially matching respondents on) preference for sweet, sour and bitter tastes, love of spicy food was significantly correlated with degree of risk- taking (as measured by a standard questionnaire) in five different domains: gambling, health and safety, dangerous sports, ethics and finance.
Furthermore, in another part of the study, the researchers found that participants who had just eaten a piece of bread covered in chilli sauce took greater risks in a computerised gambling task than a control group given just the plain bread. The researchers put the link between risk taking and a love of spicy food down to what they call “benign masochism”: whether it’s tucking into a chicken madras or riding a roller coaster, many of us enjoy the adrenaline rush that accompanies an apparent risk, even one that is – in reality – safely contained.
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