sensationseeking

Sensation seeking is a personality trait characterized by the pursuit of novel, varied, complex, and intense experiences, and a willingness to take physical and social risks to obtain such experiences. The concept was popularized by psychologist Marvin Zuckerman in the 1960s, and it has been studied across psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral sciences. It is commonly assessed with the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS) and its later versions (SSS-V), which evaluate four components: thrill and adventure seeking (desire for outdoor activities and risky sports), experience seeking (interest in travel, art, and philosophy), disinhibition (tolerance for social disinhibition such as partying), and boredom susceptibility (aversion to repetition and routine).

Neurobiologically, sensation seeking is linked to the brain’s reward pathways and dopaminergic signaling, reflecting sensitivity to novel stimuli and potential rewards. It interacts with broader personality constructs such as impulsivity and extraversion, and is associated with approach-related motivation and reward seeking. Demographically, sensation seeking tends to be higher in adolescence and young adulthood and often declines with age; sex differences are modest and influenced by cultural factors. Heritability estimates for sensation seeking typically fall in the range of 40 to 60 percent in twin studies, indicating a substantial genetic contribution.

In behavior, higher sensation seeking correlates with engagement in risky activities, extreme sports, adventurous travel, and some forms of substance use, but it can also relate to creativity and exploratory learning. The trait is not determinative; environmental factors, opportunities, and individual choices shape outcomes. Criticisms include reliance on self-report, cultural variability in what is considered novel or thrilling, and debates about the stability of the trait across contexts and over time.