Think back to Zuckerman’s definition of sensation-seeking
fromChapter 1: “sensation-seeking is a personality trait defined by
the search for experiences and feelings that are varied, novel, com-
plex and intense and by the readiness to take physical, social, legal,
and financial risks for the sake of such experiences.”^1 For Wes the
quest to see the sunrise on Cotopaxi outweighed the risks. Luckily
he learned from that experience.
“That moment shaped who I am and everything I do now,”
he explained to me. “I always plan. If I go to another country, I ask
questions. What vaccines do I need? What’s the altitude? A quick
example: Two years ago I was supposed to go to Machu Picchu with
a friend of mine, Ricky. I planned everything out, because he’s from
Ecuador, but he’s a flight attendant and lives in Dubai. At the
last minute, he couldn’t go. I’m all packed, but I said, ‘I’m not
going.’Itwasn’tthatIdidn’twantto do it myself per se, it was that
because I did my research. Cusco and Agua Caliente are at such high
altitudes that in hotel rooms, they have oxygen tanks. When people
do these trips, they usually go in pairs, especially at that altitude
because you have somebody who can say, ‘Hey, you’re not looking
very well.’ It was like this was taking me full circle back to the camp
at Cotopaxi, and this time I knew I had to make a different decision.”Risk on the Road
We have all seen the signs on the side of the road: “Speed Limit 60.”
Some people take this seriously, as if the sign controls their foot
and won’t let the car travel even a tiny bit above the limit. Others
see it as a mild suggestion: “If you are wondering what speed to
travel, please consider 60.” Still others act as if the sign says,
“Minimum Speed 60.” Nearly two-thirds of us travel at speeds well
beyond the posted limits.
How do we choose our speed? Each of us has a zone in which
we feel most comfortable when driving. Too fast makes us feel that
we’re driving dangerously; too slow frustrates us. We’ve all seen “that
guy” who weaves between cars as fast as possible, maybe even flash-
ing high beams to warn those ahead that he has no intention of
slowing down. What makes that person feel that their behavior is
safe?
Maybe they are a high sensation-seeker.
As you might imagine, sensation-seeking is linked to risky
and aggressive driving behavior. When Marvin Zuckerman and139 / The Dark Side of High Sensation-SeekingDownloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. Access paid by the UCSF Library, on 11 Nov 2019 at 14:20:10, subject to the Cambridge