Does "spicy girl" have a peppery temper? the metaphorical link between spicy tastes and anger

Abstract

Drawing upon the theories of conceptual metaphors and embodiment, in the present study we systematically examined the metaphorical link between spicy tastes and anger. In terms of personality, the results showed that participants presumed strangers who liked spicy foods (e.g., chili peppers) were more easily angered (Experiment 1). In addition, we found that people who are higher in trait anger are more likely to have a spicy food preference (Experiment 2). The findings support a metaphorical mapping between taste and personality processes.

The Perfect Body: A Potential Pathway of Anorexic Symptom Development in Women

“…Participants were first asked to rate how much they liked 12 assorted foods, then were asked to fill out a survey measuring how likely they were to engage in an assortment of behaviors. These behaviors were indicative of trait anger, or a proneness to experi encing anger (Ji et al, 2013). A positive correlation was found such that participants who indicated a greater liking of spicy foods also scored higher on trait anger.…”

“…This finding continues to support the study of embodied cognition because sweet taste can be interwoven with an abstract construct such as agreeableness or sweet tendencies. Ji, Ding, Deng, Ma, and Jiang (2013) further examined the relationship between the sensory experience of taste and abstract opinions, this time looking at a spicy flavor rather than sweet. Participants were first asked to rate how much they liked 12 assorted foods, then were asked to fill out a survey measuring how likely they were to engage in an assortment of behaviors.…”

The effect of spicy gustatory sensations on variety-seeking

“…One limitation is that the current research used pungent or hot stimuli to elicit spicy gustatory sensations. This emphasis is primarily based on past literature that has also used pungency as a representative for spicy gustatory sensations (e.g., Ji et al., ). Indeed, it is the pungency of spicy gustatory sensations that is associated with desirable social characteristics especially in Western societies such as the United States of America (e.g., Rozin et al., ).…”

“…Importantly, emerging work suggests that spicy gustatory sensations can impact abstract processes in metaphor‐consistent ways. For example, Ji, Ding, Deng, Jing, and Jiang () showed that based on the Chinese metaphor “spicy girl,” Chinese participants inferred that strangers who liked spicy food such as chili peppers were more likely to become easily angered, presumably because spicy food and experiencing anger share similar physiological responses (e.g., a red face). They also showed that individuals who scored higher on trait anger expressed a preference for spicy food.…”

Some like it hot: Testosterone predicts laboratory eating behavior of spicy food

“…Preference for spicy foods has been linked to higher levels of trait anger [13] and, as mentioned above, in some cultural contexts, the consumption of chili pepper is related to strength, daring and masculine personality traits [21]. As outlined by Byrnes and Hayes [4], among American college students, eating hot peppers is sometimes a thrill-seeking activity that involves a strong social component.…”