Buzz Inside the Minds of Thrill-Seekers

personality, and his work remains not only the most valid, but also

some of the most interesting in this area. I’ve used his framework to

better understand the high sensation-seeker throughout this book,

so let’s explore that framework more closely and then you’ll get

a chance to interpret your scores.

The Components of Sensation-Seeking

Zuckerman recognized that the high sensation-seeking personality

is complex. It is made up of four distinct components, each of

which contributes to an individual’s unique way of seeking or

avoiding sensations:

• thrill- and adventure-seeking: the quest for risk and
  danger;


• experience-seeking: the love of variety in sensations of
  the mind and senses;


• disinhibition: the ability to be unrestrained; and


• boredom susceptibility: the dislike of repetition.

Let’s review each one.

Thrill- and Adventure-Seeking

When you think of sensation-seeking, thrill- and adventure-seeking

probably come to mind. This component of sensation-seeking

emphasizes the enjoyment of at least moderately frightening activ-

ities. The secret in the sauce of thrill- and adventure-seeking is the

potential for danger. Those with high thrill- and adventure-seeking

personalities seek out physical activities that are exciting and risky.

For some, the risk is not an essential part of sensation-seeking; it’s

just the price of admission for the novelty that many people with

high sensation-seeking personalities crave.

Both Mike and Kirill fit this profile perfectly. They know the

risks, but do things like skydiving and hang gliding anyway. Mike,

in particular, scores off the chart for thrill- and adventure-seeking –

a ten, the highest score possible. “The first time I went skydiving

was in high school,” he explained. “I was interested in possibly

going, but never really took that first step, but then a friend of

mine was turning 18 and he asked me if I wanted to go, and I said,

‘Alright, I’ll try it out.’ Eventually I went with him and did my first

tandem skydive. It was kind of cool cause it’s a no control situation

17 / What is Sensation-Seeking

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