system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5 how is it we build a tolerance to spice?
gpt
Assuming you mean the heat from peppers. The chemical in peppers mimics the sensation of burning, but does no actual burning damage. Eventually your brain understands that you won't actually be hurt, just tricked into believing it was hurt. The mild irritation can then become pleasurable.