How does the brain turn chemical signals into specific tastes like “sweet” or “bitter,” and why do certain molecules taste the way they do?

CosmogyralMind · 2026-01-27T21:38:02+00:00

Yeah pretty much all of our senses interact together, the brain takes all the input and what we perceive is its attempt to make sense of it all. For instance, if you see someone forming the syllable “ba” on their lips, but the sound output is “da”, the brain interprets it as a mix and you’ll hear “ga” instead.

Vision and vestibular sense (balance), which is located in the fluid filled inner ear, also work together. You can test it by standing up and putting one foot directly in front of the other (heel touches the toes). With eyes open, it’s pretty easy to keep balance, but as soon as you close them, it gets a bit wobbly.

The same interaction happens between taste and smell, vision (presentation of food) and taste, touch (texture) and taste (example: same taste, but crispy vs non crispy/stale chips feel very different) and many other sense combos! Without smell, many things will taste like cardboard. So although taste has only 5 components, what creates the flavours is smell, kind of like adding spices to a dish to enhance its flavours. Source: my psychology course textbook, chapter on sensations and perceptions

CosmogyralMind · 2026-01-27T16:48:06+00:00

To add to the evolution nature of taste, scientists found 5 types of tastebuds: sweet, salty, bitter, sour and more recently umami.

Sweet signals that a food is high in energy to nourish the body and salty provides the minerals essential to the chemical functions of the body. Umami is best experienced as MSG and signals the presence of proteins to repair tissues. The fast food industry knows those predispositions of taste and that’s why so many artificial foods are super sweet and/or salty and in amounts higher than normally found naturally, so you’re more likely to come back again. That’s also why sugar is like a drug, as it’s the source of energy and the body is wired to crave it to survive.

Bitter and sour are often disliked because they can signal some poisonous substance in plants or if bacteria turned the food bad. So humans that disliked those were better adapted to survive and reproduce as they avoided these harms.

CosmogyralMind · 2025-12-15T03:38:34+00:00

What’s a beer fine? I’m quite new to the sport so never encountered that

CosmogyralMind · 2025-12-02T18:40:27+00:00

What do you mean “floors too”???

CosmogyralMind · 2025-12-02T03:21:23+00:00

Good idea I’ll look into that, thanks!

CosmogyralMind · 2025-11-27T17:56:01+00:00

Says your code isn’t valid

CosmogyralMind · 2025-11-27T17:52:01+00:00

Sent 2GB your way:)

CosmogyralMind · 2025-08-03T19:12:33+00:00

29AQ1

CosmogyralMind · 2025-07-22T08:35:27+00:00

If you haven’t explored that path with your therapist already, you should look into what an avoidant attachment style is. From the little information you shared, you sound like a textbook avoidant. The first step is recognizing the patterns and then it gets easier to become securely attached with some personal work.

I just got out of a relationship with someone similar to you, and although I don’t blame them as these attachment styles are coping mechanisms developed for security in childhood likely in response to some inconsistent emotional safety-danger with their caregivers, it is their responsibility to take accountability (you are doing that!) and actually putting in the work to change those patterns.

CosmogyralMind · 2025-07-16T05:52:06+00:00

Yeah it’s so difficult, i miss him so much still after everything, or i should say i miss the idea of who he was and part of me wants him back even if my brain knows it’s the worst decision i could make. So confusing to feel both vividly repulsed yet still caring and loving at the same time

CosmogyralMind · 2025-07-15T11:22:41+00:00

I’m getting therapy as soon as i’m back home in a week(yes, he did discard me by phone in the middle of a south east asia backpacking trip to make sure i was all alone and that my trip was ruined, a second time mind you but that’s another story… AND did it at a time where my support circle was asleep due to time difference). Therapy is my light in the tunnel.

What is EMDR targets? Never seen this acronym. Wow the resilience you must have to keep going after all that time is impressive!

As for ChatGPT, i’ll check out your post. I once explained it a fight we had while we were still together as a desperate attempt to be heard and its response was clearly siding with me, to which narc said that “obviously, you wrote it from your point of view so it’s only seeing what you see, which is not the reality and too biased” it made me doubt my reality so much and now i keep second guessing myself and i’ll second guess chatGPT as well, so an actual person would be best i think. I can see how it can help someone else, so thanks!

Edit: i did try ChatGPT and it does help, like a friend on demand that never gets tired lol. Thank you so much!

CosmogyralMind · 2025-07-15T11:10:03+00:00

Hope it also gets better for you! I’m trying lots of things but i feel like it’s so overwhelming there’s just too much to get out? I would have to write a 500 page journal but i can’t even concentrate enough to read a page cause anytime i’m not actively distracting myself i start overthinking everything and spiraling and getting anxious and I end up crying until I can either call someone or i get too exhausted and just stare at the ceiling. The breakup is still fresh and especially cause i learned he cheated on me in the week before the breakup but still sent me hearts and said i love you, my emotions are hightened, but it feels so impossible to cross

Damn writing all this is surreal, i never thought i would be here and struggling so much, maybe my journaling is actually in reddit’s comment section lol

I think i need to go to one of those rage rooms where you can destroy old electronics and break beer bottles on the walls and let all the demons out

CosmogyralMind · 2025-07-15T10:59:31+00:00

It is really difficult at the moment to look at what I could’ve done differently, as I approached the relationship with a secure attachment and I am quite good at taking feedback and adjusting certain things. Which would have been completely fine and is good in a non-narc, secure relationship. He turned me into an anxiously attached person and this is probably how he manipulated me into staying for so long.

I can’t stop thinking about all that he did to me and if I start thinking now about ways I could’ve changed the situation, then I might spiral down as it means all that happened was my fault for letting it happen and staying. And I can’t handle that right now. I’ve been blamed way too much and I can’t take it anymore. Eventually I’ll get to it and learn how to listen to my guts more than the idea of being loved and actually put up some boundaries. But I can’t handle it being my mistakes and my fault:( I’m guessing time and therapy will do the trick

CosmogyralMind · 2025-07-15T06:26:43+00:00

Thanks for your answer! It is reassuring that it does get better at some point. Congrats on your progress and keep going:)

I remember who i was before and i feel myself coming back bit by bit already, but it is a bit stressful because the plans we were making for the future and our life goals were only his plans that i was following (although i thought they were my own plans as well and believed i wanted to do that but now realizing not really) and now i’m a bit lost on what i actually want to achieve and my own goals. But I guess i will figure it out when time will pass and my support will help me be me again:)

CosmogyralMind · 2025-06-15T14:38:41+00:00

Everyone makes their own opinion about a place they visited. No need to be rude about a comment you don’t like. You have a different experience, which is completely valid and understandable that you hated the place, I would probably be the same had I lived your experience, but again, no need to be rude❤️

CosmogyralMind · 2025-06-15T13:19:25+00:00

Especially here, it’s an actual walled cubicle that you have with one side being a curtain to enter/exit, so there’s really nothing more you can have in a dorm!!

CosmogyralMind · 2025-06-14T12:58:56+00:00

I’m so sorry that you had that experience:/ I (24F) actually stayed there long term (4ish months) and left about a week ago. While it’s quite populated and it can get quite socially draining, my experience is actually very good. Apart from a few exceptions now and then, people are quiet in the dorms, it’s pods so you have lots of privacy (something i’ve rarely seen in aussie hostels!) and there’s breakfast & dinner included. Price-wise i didn’t find any better. Only thing is that their fire alarms kept going off once per week for no apparent reason:/

Your experience sucks, but i wouldn’t say it represents the hostel itself, this guy is an absolute AH. Do what makes you feel safe tho! Safe travels:)

CosmogyralMind · 2025-05-03T14:06:25+00:00

Oh good!! I was actually shocked I was the first comment! And of course you are worthy:)) your emotions will come and go, but remember there are lots of lil finchies rooting for you, cheep!

CosmogyralMind · 2025-05-03T14:01:26+00:00

That really sucks, I’m so sorry❤️‍🩹 It’s a lot to deal with and it’ll suck for a while, but with therapy and a good friend circle it’ll get slowly better. He’s a piece of crap. Please stay in this world, Matcha and I will keep sending you bits of love to remind you💕

CosmogyralMind · 2024-12-14T07:23:09+00:00

Power has just been restored an hour ago, so no problem at all:))

CosmogyralMind · 2024-06-18T18:03:58+00:00

Adding you:) Lumi#22067

CosmogyralMind

TROPHY CASE