system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why the first bite of something very sour gives your taste buds a hard kick but the rest of the bites are not so bad?

I don't know if it is just me, but every time I eat something sour, the first bite tastes unbearably sour but the ones after that are not so bad!
gpt
Most nerves have mechanisms to downplay their effect. It's called "hyperpolarizing" and is used to reduce the amount of signals sent based on a stimulus. This takes place both at the site where the stimulus takes place (your tastes buds) and the site that ultimately receives the signal (your brain). You are literally tasting less sour. If there was a sudden change, for example you got to a sweet layer, your brain would notice again because the change would involve nerves that aren't being repressed. Also, after removing the initial stimulus the nerves will eventually reset to normal, which is why things can taste sour again after you stop eating the initial sour food.