for a few seconds, while mountain climbers need them for hours at
a time. In a way, the reward of their endurance activities is control
of their sensations. There is some evidence that this emotional
regulation lasts beyond the activity.^40 People learn from these
experiences and use those coping skills in their everyday lives.
Matt, for example, not only reports that facing his fears has made
him less anxious in life but also that the cooperative nature of
Tough Mudder helps him to be a better team player in the work-
place. While these activities may not seem relaxing or even bene-
ficial to some of us, for the high sensation-seeker there is clearly
a reward.
Sports and adventures maybe be one of the most obvious
ways that high sensation-seeking shows itself. It’s easy to spot
a high sensation-seeker in a bullring, bobsled, or the Beast Race.
The way that high sensation-seekers process outside stimulation
makes it easier for them to focus in such environments. But high
sensation-seeking doesn’t just affect them during extreme activ-
ities, it also pops up in their personal life too.92 / Buzz!Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. Access paid by the UCSF Library, on 11 Nov 2019 at 14:19:03, subject to the Cambridge