Men Who Like Spicy Food Are More Alpha

My chili is bigger than yours.

Alpha males tend to thrive in cutthroat offices—and restaurants that douse their food in hot sauce.

A study by researchers from the University of Grenoble found that men who preferred spicier foods also tended to have higher testosterone levels than men with milder tastes. In the study, published in the journal Physiology & Behavior, 114 men from age 18 to 44 were polled on whether or not they liked spicy foods, and were later served a dish of mashed potatoes which they were allowed to season with however much hot sauce and salt they wanted.

The researchers found that men with higher testosterone levels tended to use more hot sauce and indicated a greater preference for it. There was no relationship between testosterone and the amount of salt used. High testosterone levels in men have long been linked to dominant and competitive traits.

The conundrum is that many deliciously spicy foods also leave one with breath that doesn’t go over well on a date.

Which is why I am a huge consumer of Altoids.