Why does sour food make your lips pucker?

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Pucker up! Some people think sour foods are deliciously tart, while other might think they’re kind of yucky. Why do we react so strangely to this taste??

Nobody knows exactly why sour foods like lemons or sour candies make us pucker, but some scientists think the way we react to sour foods has to do with your body’s instinct not to eat foods that could be bad for you. Some sour foods, for example, are foods (like spoiled milk) that have gone bad or foods (like fruit) that are not ripe yet. Other times, sour foods can be bad to eat in large quantities because their high acidity can be damaging. (If your brain thinks a sour taste might be bad for you, can you think of any reasons why that might lead you to purse your lips??)

Scientists also think the way we taste sour foods is inherited, which means its passed down from parents like height or eye color! That means the way you react to a sour taste might be similar to other people in your family! Do you and your relatives have sour tastes in common with each other??

Sour Power!