You can go to Brilliant.org/SciShow to learn more.

可以到 Brilliant.org/SciShow 了解更多資訊。

It's ooey, it's gooey, and it's oh-so-delicious.

牽絲、濃稠、還非常好吃。

It's on some of our favorite dishes, like pizza and nachos, and it can even make some our least favorite foods taste better.

這是我們最喜歡的一些菜餚，像是披薩和玉米片，甚至可以讓我們最不喜歡的食物變好吃。

Yeah, I'm talking about cheese.

沒錯，我在說起司。

Or more specifically, melted cheese. Because while cheese is delicious, a lot of people think the melted stuff is so much better.

或是更準確一點，融化的起司，因為雖然起司很好吃，但很多人都認為融化的起司更好吃。

And that's probably not a coincidence.

這可能不是巧合。

There actually seems to be a scientific reason why people love melted cheese more than solid cheese.

大家之所以比起固體起司更愛融化的起司，其實背後似乎有著科學原因。

So the next time you're reaching for those nachos… you can blame it on your biology.

所以下次你嘴饞想吃玉米片時... 你可以怪到生物學上。

According to the research, a lot of this has to do with something called mouthfeel, a term used to describe… well, how food feels in your mouth.

根據研究，這其中與口感，也就是食物在嘴巴中咀嚼起來的感受大有關係。

It's pretty straightforward.

非常直接。

And studies suggest that mouthfeel plays a big role in how much we like a certain food, and that something's texture can even influence how much of it we eat.

研究表明，口感在我們對某種食物的喜好程度中扮演了重要角色，而且某些東西的質感甚至會影響我們吃多少食物。

Take a study published in 2014.

來看看 2014 年發表的一項研究。

In it, researchers ran five experiments where two groups of people ate foods with different textures.

在研究中，研究人員進行了五次實驗，讓兩組人吃不同質感的食物。

In one experiment, they had 83 university students eat either hard or soft brownies while watching advertisements.

在一項實驗中，他們讓 83 名大學生在看廣告的同時，分別吃硬或軟的布朗尼。

And the scientists found that the soft brownie group naturally ate more.

科學家發現，吃軟布朗尼的組別自然會吃得比較多。

But people don't just have a soft spot for brownies.

但大家可不只對布朗尼情有獨鍾。

Surveys have found that, when it comes to cheese, we also tend to like things on the softer side.

調查發現，換成起司時，我們也喜歡吃更軟的起司。

And scientists think there are a couple of reasons why.

科學家認為其中有幾個原因。

One is that we tend to like foods that don't take a lot of work to eat — which kind of makes sense.

一個是我們喜歡不用太花力氣吃的食物，這似乎很有道理。

It's way easier to stuff your face with a bunch of soft, fudgy brownies than a bag of rock candy.

比起一袋冰糖，一堆柔軟、濕潤的布朗尼更好塞進嘴裡。

But this isn't the whole answer because the amount of effort it takes to eat can also be influenced by things like your saliva.

但這不是完整的答案，因為吃東西要花的力氣也會受到唾液等因素影響。

For example, some people dissolve starches faster than others because their saliva contains more of a protein called salivary amylase.

例如，有些人比其他人能更快溶解澱粉，因為他們的唾液，含有更多蛋白質，這叫做唾液澱粉酶。

So something it feels really thick to you might feel more runny to someone else.

你感覺真的很濃稠的東西，別人卻可能覺得很稀。

Another part of the answer seems to be what the food is made of.

另一部分的答案似乎與食物的成分有關。

In general, people probably love the mouthfeel of fatty foods.

普遍來說，大家可能很愛食物含脂肪的口感。

Specifically, ones that go from solid to semi-solid or liquid, like cheese or chocolate because it signals that the food is higher in calories.

具體來說，從固體到半固體或液體，如起司或巧克力，因為表示食物有更高的熱量。

And since calories are our source of energy, there's an evolutionary advantage to loving foods with lots of them.

由於卡路里是我們的能量來源，所以愛好大量卡路里的食物就有演化優勢。

Which probably also explains why fatty food is so good at activating the brain's reward system.

這可能也解釋，為何脂肪類食物非常擅長刺激大腦獎賞系統。

So really, your love of melty cheese might be your body's way of trying to fuel itself.

所以的確，你對融化起司的熱愛可能是身體為自己補充能量的方式。

Between the calories and the fact that it's just so easy to eat — what's not to love?

既有大量卡路里，又那麼容易就能吃下肚，要讓人怎麼不愛它們呢？

And speaking of things that are easy to try, have you tried today's Daily Challenge from Brilliant?

說到容易嘗試的事，你試過今天 Brilliant 的每日挑戰了嗎？

Brilliant is probably best known for its educational courses.

Brilliant 可能因其具有教育性質的課程聞名。

But their Daily Challenges are also really good.

但他們的每日挑戰也真的很棒。

And there's a new one every day about math, science, or computer science topics.

每天都有一個關於數學、科學或電腦科學的新主題。

And these questions are great for brushing up on your skills between classes or while you're riding on the bus home.

這些問題很適合在課間或坐公車回家的路上來複習你的技能。

And, they're totally free.

而且，它們完全免費。

You can do today's Daily Challenge right now,

現在可以去今天的每日挑戰，

And if you want to get access to the entire archive, you can become a Premium member.

如果你想要取得整個檔案，那你可以成為高級會員。

And conveniently, the first 200 people to sign up at Brilliant.org/SciShow will get 20% off of their annual Premium subscription.

更好的是，前 200 名在 Brilliant.org/SciShow 註冊的人可以獲得年度高級訂閱的 20% 優惠。

So, have at it — and thanks for supporting SciShow along the way!

所以，快去吧，感謝一路上支持 SciShow。

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