Buzz Inside the Minds of Thrill-Seekers

(Barry) #1
sensation-seeking quiz on my website and wanted to share their
stories (I’ve changed their names).

Name: Carl
Total Sensation-Seeking: 19/40
Thrill- and Adventure-Seeking: 5/10
Experience-Seeking: 4/10
Boredom Susceptibility: 5/10
Disinhibition: 5/10

I love roller coasters and stuff like that. I thought it might be
fun to learn to fly a plane but when I start thinking about it,
I get too scared to do it.

Carl is typical of a lot of people. With average scores for all four
components of sensation-seeking, he’ll seek out interesting or
thrilling activities as long as they aren’t too dangerous.

Name: Aaron
Total Sensation-Seeking: 19/40
Thrill- and Adventure-Seeking: 2/10
Experience-Seeking: 3/10
Boredom Susceptibility: 2/10
Disinhibition: 3/10

I kinda don’t understand thrill-seekers. I’m the kind of person
who finds something interesting in everyday stuff. I can listen
to the same music over and over again and I love going to my
favorite restaurants and ordering my favorite meal. They see
me coming and get it ready.
While Aaron may be generally curious, I wouldn’t wait for him
to volunteer to do anything even remotely risky or dangerous.
I would assume that he’s generally curious but he wouldn’t go
out of his way for something unusual. On the contrary I would
assume he might avoid things that are too unusual or danger-
ous. His low scores for boredom susceptibility explain why he
can eat the same meal over and over again and enjoy it
thoroughly.

23 / What is Sensation-Seeking

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