According to CNN.com:

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2010/07/21/lunch-lies-dinner-deceits-tasty-truths/?hpt=C2

Fiery foods raise your body temperature slightly, bringing heat to the skin's surface and causing you to sweat. This perspiration will ultimately cause your body to cool down by evaporative cooling (temperature reduction through the evaporation of water).

So...there is a reason the regular Thai eats ridiculously spicy food?

What are your experiences?

I also beleive that chillies are addictive

the hotter the climate, the more spicy is the food

the hotter the climate, the more spicy is the food

Yes, that is true, unfortunately, spicy food has additional negative effect besides body heat. i.e... unpleasant odour moves up from the stomach into the esophageal and exits via mouth cavity, result ... extremely bad breath.

This is particular off-putting when faceing girls, solution: > move on.

While some Thai food is crazy hot, others are quite delicious and the combination of flavors between salty, sweet and spicy can be very delicious. I can eat western food and not require spiciness but I can't eat Thai food without a spicy dish.

I've never noticed chilis giving bad breath. Onions, yes, garlic most definitely. but chilis? never heard that one before.

As to the idea that it cools you down, the British have the same theory about drinking hot tea when the weather is hot.