There are certain things I have always believed should be hot.

Coffee.

Tea.

Soup.

And apparently, lava.

New research involving nearly a million people in the UK found that drinking beverages at a “very hot” temperature was associated with more than three times the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma compared with drinking them warm.

Three times.

Which feels excessive. Even for coffee.

And if you are one of those people who drinks six or more hot beverages a day, the news gets even more interesting. The researchers found a 71% higher risk of squamous cell carcinoma compared with people drinking fewer than six.

I immediately thought about all the people I know who take that first sip of coffee approximately four seconds after pouring it, despite the fact that it is still actively boiling.

There is something psychologically fascinating about this.

We know something is too hot.

We know it hurts.

We blow on it.

We wait approximately half a second.

Then we drink it anyway.

Perhaps this is a metaphor for adulthood.

We repeatedly burn ourselves and then act surprised.

The good news is that this particular risk factor is remarkably easy to modify.

You don’t have to give up coffee.

You don’t have to become one of those people who drinks herbal tea and announces that they are “really into wellness” now.

Just let the darn thing cool down.

The researchers estimate that some esophageal cancers could potentially be prevented by lowering the temperature at which people drink these beverages.

Which means that for once, prevention doesn’t require a complete lifestyle transformation.

It requires patience.

Something most of us apparently need more of anyway.

So tomorrow morning, I’m going to make my coffee, put it down, and wait.

Of course, I’ll probably stare at it impatiently for 30 seconds before deciding it has cooled enough.

Because I’m a work in progress.

But at least I’ll be a work in progress who isn’t voluntarily drinking molten coffee.

Apparently, even my caffeine needs boundaries.