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Comment by rob74 | Hacker News Reader

> Then, while there is still some residual burning sensation remaining, the flush of endorphins gives this blissful, albeit a bit drunk, state (“Live is beautiful, I love you all, awesome…”).

Or, as they say in German, "es ist schön, wenn der Schmerz nachlässt" (it's great when the pain goes away). Then again, you also wouldn't intentionally hit your finger with a hammer to experience this feeling - so my approach to spicy food is "know your limit": I enjoy it in moderate amounts, but keep away from the kind of spicyness where after a few bites you feel like your mouth is on fire and you can't taste the food anymore...

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>Then again, you also wouldn't intentionally hit your finger with a hammer to experience this feeling

This actually sounds related to some of the reasoning behind "cutting" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-harm#Pathophysiology

I think there are two different states when the pain goes away - relief and euphory.

These can be mistaken occasionally - as in the Rabbi and the goat joke/parable. But in most cases, it is clear if a state would be desirable if there were no discomfort before. (As a side note, it is why I am skeptical about people praising the Kambo ceremony - taking a frog poison.)

Ad hammer - I mention that in another blog post (curious if you refer to this or if it is a nice coincidence). In any case, there is a difference if something is only a temporary discomfort or causes long-term harm. Instead of using a hammer, one can get spanked or (safely) flogged.

I learned a little jingle growing up that my mom passed down from her mother, and presumably some even older source, but I can't find it with a quick Google.

> "I like to hit my head with a hammer,"

> Said Johnny one day to his pop.

> "The reason I like to do it," he said,

> "Is, it feels so good when I stop!"

The difference is you’re not causing any damage to your body when you eat spicy food unlike hitting your finger with a hammer.

Your body can react to the pain excitation in some slightly harmful ways, such as diarrhea, overproduction of mucus, altered digestion, etc.

True, the capsaicin itself doesn't harm your body, but the pain can in itself cause some slight damage (and like any drug, an overdose of capsaicin can be very dangerous).

Just gonna leave this here [https://www.bbc.com/news/health-43699484.amp].

I’ve also heard of folks having esophageal tears due to severe vomiting.

All ‘reactions to’, not ‘reactions from’ I guess?

That said, capsaicin is recognized as a chemical agent used in warfare, and having been through some training, it does suck to be sprayed.

At the very least you will get "burnt" a second time when the capsaicin leaves your body again. Maybe there are people who also like this sensation, but I for one could do without it...

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