Hot, baby, hot.

If you’re tired of food that tastes like it was imported from Blandia, add some spice to your life. Put some dried chilies in your pepper mill and start grinding. Research shows that when you turn up the heat, capsaicin—the stuff in hot peppers that makes your mouth feel like it’s on fire—releases endorphins in your brain. Endorphins are our friends—they reduce pain and make us feel euphoric.

But wait, there’s more….

Capsaicin has also been shown to help prevent headaches, fight cancer, clear out stuffy noses, protect your heart and increase your metabolism (to help burn fat and calories). Who knew?