By AC Shilton, Outside

A friendly reminder for all of our spice-loving readers: There is no shame in dousing your Thanksgiving feast in Sriracha. Tell your offended mother that science has linked your love of spicy condiments to your adrenaline-seeking personality.

Biologically speaking, we should all hate spicy food. Burning—and the pain that comes with it—is bad, right? “If your dog gets a little something spicy, it has a very clear negative reaction to the burning,” says Dr. Nadia Byrnes, who conducted a study on the link between personality type and spicy food. “So if we think about it from purely a biological standpoint, the more that something burns, the less you should like it.”

But that’s clearly not the case. In 2012, market research company IBISWorld included hot sauce in its list of top 10 fastest growing industries. Huy Fong Foods, makers of our beloved “Rooster Sauce,” made $85 million in revenue in 2013.

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