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Eating hot chili peppers may provide a sensation that is more than just sensory. The capsaicin, or hot stuff, in chili peppers can really cause a rush of endorphins in the brain, giving you a short high, according to Paul Rozin, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania who has conducted considerable study on reactions to spicy peppers. Dr. Rozin says that when you consume spicy chilies, the capsaicin “burns” the nerve endings of the tongue and mouth, causing them to transmit misleading pain signals to the brain. In reaction, to protect the body from imagined damage, the brain secretes natural painkillers or endorphins, which produce a high similar to a morphine injection.

According to Dr. Rozin, another bite of pepper causes more endorphins to be released, which builds up to a joyful surge. He claims that due of this euphoria, some people get hooked to peppers, eating ever hotter peppers. You might grow addicted to peppers because they make you feel so amazing, he claims.