Men With A Taste For Spicy Food Are Manlier, Science Says

"Alpha" men tend to be more aggressive, competitive and sexually dominant. And now, as it turns out, they probably have a preference for the piquant. A recent study published by the University of Grenoble in France found that men who love spicy foods have higher levels of testosterone than men with milder tastes.

The study focused on a sample size of 114 men ages 18-44. The men were all given a plate of mashed potatoes and told to add as much hot sauce and salt as they wanted. Their testosterone levels were then measured, and indeed, the men who doused their potatoes in pools of chili sauce, had the higher levels of testosterone. Previous studies have found that men with similar hormonal levels have a preference for the color red, while men with lower testosterone levels prefer blue.

According to Quartz, the link between spicy foods and manliness could be an effect more than a cause, because spicy foods actually raise testosterone levels.