Spaghetti

The results of Dr. Richard Wurtman’s research published in The Times (Part I, Aug. 15) left me with ambivalent feelings. On the one hand, I am pleased that “a plate of spaghetti”--the classic staple of Italian cuisine--is proven to lift a person’s spirits by increasing the level of serotonin in the brain; on the other, I cannot hide a certain letdown.

I had always thought that my zest for life and fun depended on cultural and/or genetic factors, and now comes science to connect it with the osmotic power of the digestive tract. I wonder if the Chinese feel that way, too, for they started it all by letting Marco Polo pirate their secret recipe, unaware that American-style pizzerias would flood the world with such a spirit-lifting meal.

MARIA C. GARIANO

Northridge