Sensation Seeking Scale: How Do You Rank?

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

The test is here: https://arc.psych.wisc.edu/self-report/sensation-seeking-scale-sss/

It only consists of 40 questions and shouldn't take much time. I'm really curious how everyone ranks on this test for sensation seeking. I just recently learned about this personality trait from a kind person on here and wondering if there are any others like me.

Sensation seeking explains a whole lot about my personality in uncanny ways including some of my worst and most embarrassing habits like my horrible tendencies to become addicted to risky behaviors (adrenaline junkie, gambling, reckless stunts, binge drinking, etc) as well as my general inability to enjoy soothing and relaxing activities.

My results:

My SSS Results

Updates

2 mo

OMG, I posted the wrong link while reading up further on the subject! Sorry about that. This is the correct link to the test!
www.mdapp.co/.../

[AmandaYVR]

Very interesting, Guy!

Although, I have to say, a lot of the wording on the A/B was too extreme for my taste. I was between on many of them, and felt a bit forced into one which I was not comfortable with either.

Ex: Item 18

A. I would like to take off on a trip with no preplanned or definite routes, or timetable.
B. When I go on a trip I like to plan my route and timetable fairly carefully.

I'm square between these two. I will research a fair bit before I go, but everything is winged when I get there.

Anyway, whoever suggested this to you was right on. This fits you to a 't'.

I have always known I am not thrill-seeking. But the high Disinhibition score is interesting. I think this illustrates something which I have found difficulty explaining about myself - this dichotomy. Although you may remember some of our chats on these topics. I am also very big on novelty, which I think is expressed in their "Experience Seeking Subscale". But keep me off of bungee cords, parachutes, etc., thank you very much. I think I might pass out. My whole body was shaking after coming off of Disneyland's "Big Thunder Railroad", and that would not be considered "wild" by that many. Although "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" is very tame. Bit of a misrepresentation, there...

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

I'm definitely an extreme and imbalanced case on Item 18 favoring trips with no plans whatsoever. My wife balances me out since she's the extreme opposite and would normally plan the trip from the time we wake up to the time we sleep which I find too rigid and exhausting. We end up coming up with a nice compromise where there's room for spontaneity but also enough of a plan so that we don't risk wandering around the whole time with little to do. It sounds like you're already well-balanced in that regard.

That addiction to danger and thrills was one that always confused me. I think I shared with you all sorts of conjectures about it like trying to overcome fear of damnation (despite being atheist, my mother's threats of going to hell if I failed to believe in God had some effect on me).

I still have only conjectures for why I'm like this but at least discovering the sensation-seeker personality explains the "what" part even if it doesn't go into "why". So maybe I can start to overcome my worst habits now that I understand this better. It's also comforting to know I'm not entirely alone this way.

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

One additional conjecture I'm starting to think may fit on the "why" part is that my male ego revolves around bravery. For example, if my family is in danger (let's say a grizzly bear attacks or the building erupts on fire), I don't see it nearly as important to be the most physically strong as I am willing to face death to have the best chance of protecting my family. Some guys seek to be the strongest possible and tie their male ego that way. Yet my biggest fear is not failing to be physically strong enough but failing to be brave enough that I can sacrifice my life getting tangled up with a grizzly bear to buy them time to run away.

So maybe that's a part of why it's important to me to seek out danger on a regular basis and overcome every last fear of danger I can find. I want to make sure in that critical moment when I have to make the choice being risking or outright sacrificing my life to protect my family that I'm brave and used to facing danger often enough to do it.

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

[*] [...] when I have to make the choice [between] risking or outright sacrificing my life to protect my family [...]

[LazerBean]

My parents basically instilled in us that it's a sin to be "bored", so I have no problem keeping busy because of that. I like adventures and stuff, but ultimately I have loved ones that I have to take care of myself for.

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Sounds very healthy and reasonable! Marriage has been a major thing for me. The idea that I have to look out for my well-being because it affects other people's well-being was largely alien to me before marriage. I wasn't very close to my family growing up except for my little sister and I still had fairly low self-esteem back then so I didn't think about what would happen to my little sister so much if I died. Also she would still at least have our parents; they were horrible parents but at least she'd have someone to look after her.

[LazerBean]

Aww, sorry about your parents. But it sounds like your wife has been very good to you, that's a wonderful blessing!

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

No problem! I never really thought my childhood as worse or better than any other; I'm not some God able to compare this way, and I owe at least some of the better side of me to its associated challenges. As for my wife, she's my ultimate source of inspiration to become a better person and hopefully a bit less of an idiot. 😅

[serious]

These are my results and it perfectly goes with my thought process and the way I take my decisions

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Very nice! Seems extremely disciplined and lacking any tendencies towards risky behaviors and addictions.

[serious]

@GuyAnswersGirls123

Yes of course. I want to lead a highly disciplined life.

I also love my comfort zone and I am not a risk taker at all in any sense that is and I am aware I might not get too much success professionally but that is the price I am ready to pay for who I am. If you can understand what I am saying.

[NathanDavis]

3, 6, 9... I sure like that...

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Quite high on the thrills and experience-seeking! Does it ever get you into trouble if I may ask?

[NathanDavis]

hmm, let's see

- racing car engine caught fire
- a speeding tree stupidly got on my way
- almost got trampled by a cow's stampede
- cracked my skull a bit... falling from a utility pole
- got lost in the mountain forest for about six hours
- ended up blind/deaf for a minute or two... by a lightning strike, during a thunderstorm
- did lie down in the middle of a busy high-way

I would not say that I really got into much trouble, but... calculated risks + being lucky so far

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Sounds like we'd have fun adventures together if we met! I never got so into racing but I'm a lover of heights and the feeling of falling, starting from riding the swings as a little kid to becoming a vert skater.

Yet I recently picked up go-cart racing as a hobby from my brother-in-law and I have no sense of timing and distance there skidding off road and shouting, "Sorry!" to everyone passing by as I try to drag the cart back on the road.

My worst was my alcohol tendencies. I think I needed to just quit drinking permanently since once I start drinking even a can of beer, I end up drinking all night long until I literally pass out and can't drink anymore.

[NathanDavis]

so... whether drinking or sober, we would run onto something... lol

this was another reason why I did seek all of the thrill with sports and competition... rather than going feral and wilding somewhere out there

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

I often resonated a lot with that line from Sin City: "Most people think Marv is crazy. He just had the rotten luck of being born in the wrong century."
https://youtu.be/2QhtHzGDlE4
I'm nowhere near as tough as Marv and even a computer nerd by profession, but there has always been that feeling like I don't perfectly fit into the mindset of civilized society. At least there's always a yearning to get out of my comfort zone of my cushy chair and desk and do something more, as you eloquently put it, "feral". I feel most alive in those moments and have a tendency to start to feel like a zombie in others.

[7Phoenix7]

Wow, you scored very high in everything lol

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

I think it's at the level of a real psychological problem in my case, although I'm hoping I'm finally starting to get it under control especially by quitting alcohol. Your results seem very healthy though!

[Sonorous]

‎‎‎‎‎

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Seems nice and healthy and disciplined!

[Sonorous]

I'm boring 🤣

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

I really doubt it but maybe we could meet in the middle! Mine I think is at a level of a real psychological problem and one I have to carefully resist to be a remotely responsible person. The pandemic helped me to appreciate more indoor activities though although I developed the worst binging habits. Now that I quit drinking, maybe I'm a bit more balanced.

A lot of this sensation seeking stuff seems to explain so many things I found so off and weird about me so I take some comfort at least knowing what's up with me.

For example, I remember one time I told you about how I have difficulty taking comfort in music most people find relaxing and soothing and I shared with you the type of music that relaxes me, and I think you responded that you found it unnerving. Which is probably the normal and sane response to the songs I find relaxing! 😅

But apparently at the heart of the sensation seeker is a tendency to be bored easily and need a great deal of stimulation: sensory overload, thrills, things of this nature. Now that I'm aware of it, I might be able to moderate it better.

[Sonorous]

I think I'm definitely open to meeting in the middle on some things with enough incentive & safety. And now I think I can kinda relate to you with chaotic music thing. Since I eq my headphones to make certain frequencies less harsh, I find certain types of chaotic music calming to listen to. Not as calming as peaceful music of course, but it can still be calming to a large degree sometimes. Max Cooper is a good examples for me:
www.youtube.com/watch

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

I like that music! I am skimming to it and working back to taking time with it but at first impression, it reminds me a lot of Aphex Twin.

[Sonorous]

I can't get into aphex twin iono why. But I do love idm music though!

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Have you heard this one? It's one of my favorites but it's such a shame about the terrible sound quality since he recorded and mixed on cassette tapes back then. Yet I like that nature of muffled melodies and voices that seem like they're struggling to find a way to emerge. It also has a deeply sentimental and nostalgic feeling for me for some reason:
https://youtu.be/2tOutF8B3f8

I really like this one track from Crystal Castles for a very similar reason:
https://youtu.be/V3e90yExv38

[Sonorous]

Guess I spoke too soon about aphex 🤣 because that song actually sounds good to me. Went through my music to find similar sounds with unclear vocals you might like:
www.youtube.com/watch
www.youtube.com/watch
www.youtube.com/watch
www.youtube.com/watch

[Sonorous]

www.youtube.com/watch
www.youtube.com/watch
www.youtube.com/watch
www.youtube.com/watch

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

I LIKE THOSE! They all fit a lot of the quality I was looking for and already had the Crystal Castles one on my playlist. My favorite is the Nest one there.

There's a quality to these that actually reminds me of how I dream, or at least remember them. There's always a sense that the sounds and voices are a bit muffled, like we're underwater, perhaps with heavy delay/echo and reverb, and often not entirely clear.

I like this one as well in a similar way. It reminds me of how I dream to some extent with parts that seem muffled and others that seem clear:
https://youtu.be/qavyC_6x2Rw

[Sonorous]

Glad I went through them then! 🤣 And dang I like that one too. Definitely saving it. It reminds me of these:
www.youtube.com/watch
www.youtube.com/watch
www.youtube.com/watch
www.youtube.com/watch

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

I like those but especially the first two from Rival Consoles! I can't decide which of the two I like better, maybe ever-so-slightly the second one.

The last one I enjoyed but I kept helping for something more percussive to climactically emerge at some point, although I like the swelling climax towards the end. But I kept thinking there'd be something that'd put me in the mood to dance towards the middle and never quite got it.

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

[*] but I kept [hoping, sorry] for something more percussive to climactically emerge at some point [...]

[Sonorous]

Rival consoles is one of my favorite electronic artists! I highly recommend checking out his discography

Do you mean percussive like this?
www.youtube.com/watch

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

YAAAASSSSS! 💯💯💯 That song is my favorite you shared so far even though I like all of them.

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

That's so pretty but also very inspiring, powerful, to me.

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

It captures a sense of struggling and overcoming struggle to my ears, hope vs. inevitability, trying to swim against a tsunami, everything is doomed and everything is fine, that sort of thing. I'm very drawn to this type of quality.

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

I like music that seems to put things into motion. Not sure if that's a quality that makes any sense to anyone else in a way that isn't totally ambiguous. This one isn't the type of one that gets me wanting to get out of my chair and dance but it sets the entire world in motion in my imagination. Visually I'm thinking time-lapse of morning to night, summer to winter, the beginning of life to the end of life, the construction of buildings to their collapse.

[Sonorous]

Ayoooooo I'm glad I can recommend songs you like! 🤣 Definitely feel free to give me any more details about certain music you like because I might be able to pinpoint some more!

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Awesome, thanks! I might hit you up. I also have a deep love of certain folk-ish music. Being a former gamedev, I like a lot of music that I think would fit well in a really cool imaginary video game.

[Sonorous]

folk-ish music like this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEDs_3PFIMM

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Something like that and I find that one very pretty but not quite transporting me to a foreign culture as things like this:
https://youtu.be/4NamIWw8U9c
https://youtu.be/UC2Xv2qOJ4w
https://youtu.be/-kqhvhecfmE

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

It helps a lot to me if the song (or in the bottom case, war chant) is performed in the traditional language of the time period it represents (or was originally conceived). Like Old English rather than Modern English, for example.

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Or an artist I really like is El Buho. He's a DJ originally from the UK who ventured to South America and then combined South American folk music from the Andes with IDM, which both transports me to a foreign culture that seems so rich with tradition but simultaneously having that sort of dream-like quality I described earlier:
youtu.be/S89NrPJBc7U

[Sonorous]

Ahh nice! Here are the some of the closest things I have to cultural music in that way:
www.youtube.com/watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATmBOnMJJkE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jnqXQuqxzg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntM-NkirYz4
www.youtube.com/watch

[Sonorous]

sent the wrong link to that last one:
www.youtube.com/watch

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

AWESOME! I especially love the first one: "Woven Song". Massive expansion to my playlist! Do you know what language that's in? It sounds so universal to my ears, like something that touches on a variety of ancient cultures.

[Sonorous]

I'm glad someone in the comments found the original video! I always wondered what it was because I like the song so much. It's even one of my favorites to play on the piano. It says it's "shaman" but not sure much about them though:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyrT3V3don8

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

South American! Somehow a lot of indigenous South American resonates deeply with me. I see images and films of the rain forest and a part of me thinks I belong there although in reality, I'd probably die in a few days. 😅

[Sonorous]

🤣 Exactly same. Like I'll be watching documentaries about the forests & they're always so comforting but I think I like it more as an aesthetic though. As soon as I get there I'd be terrified at all the little dangers.

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Same! I've tried camping in fairly harsh wilderness conditions and I'm good for the first day or two, even surprising people used to the conditions with how much energy I can have and how much menial labor I can do. But then I tend to catch a cold and start to get sick. I'd at least need a lot more practice to endure such conditions for long periods.

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

It's something I'd like to work on. It's one thing to do difficult physical tasks in controlled environments like gym and sports when we get to return home to our comfortable beds. It's another to endure sleeping in the wild with a rock for a pillow for days, weeks, months.

[Sonorous]

I've never done it before but I have a feeling that I'd enjoy it because I tend to enjoy struggling. Like for instance, as a kid, when groceries were so low that I barely had anything to eat, I would feel a sense of excitement due to having a problem to overcome 🤣 then when we'd just get a bunch of groceries, a part of me would feel kinda let down.

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

I'm very similar there! I suspect some of this is sensation seeking on some level.

In my case, it sounds crazy but I stopped eating food entirely for a whole month one time, not for health reasons (I was sure this would be counter-productive and cost me some muscle). I just wanted to see if I could endure it.

My father survived severe famine conditions in WW2. He always told us about it like rummaging through people's garbage and getting so excited that he found fish bones he could eat. He'd also eat literally anything edible, like one time we had a full roasted pig on the table and he started eating off the face including the eyeballs. I often thought he was just showing off and trying to gross us out, but even if so, I realized he went through an experience of a kind so much worse than I could ever imagine.

So I wanted to try to simulate what he went through to the lightest degree, just one month water fast without any food. Wasn't so bad actually; I didn't even feel hungry so much except smelling food cooking would tempt me a lot. Still, I didn't have to struggle WW2 conditions on top of that and I knew I could just eat something and break the fast any time if things were becoming dangerous.

[Sonorous]

Now that takes major dedication! I do wonder if it's harder for someone to fast for that long these days with so much food being advertised to us & perfected 🤔

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

It was actually easier than I thought it would be but I think because of the controlled environment, and I work a very comfortable remote desk job as a programmer from a home office so it's not like I had to go out there and do hard work during the process let alone even show up anywhere each morning. I suspect it would have been substantially more difficult if I didn't have such a comfortable environment in which to try this.

One thing I noticed is that I was posting YouTube videos of my progress and, I didn't notice it at the time, but with each passing day and week you could see my whole body slow down. I'm normally a fidgety person who moves a lot and talks with my hands, but over the course of the 30 days, I stopped fidgeting completely and barely moved while speaking veryyy slowllly. I turned almost like a statue only moving my mouth to talk.

I think that was my body's way of conserving energy. I actually felt okay though, not lethargic as I would have expected, and wouldn't have noticed the effects it had on my behavior if I didn't have the video comparisons. I actually felt kind of euphoric for some reason on such an extended fast.

Yet on these types of experiences in general, I always thought of it like if we want to maximally understand the nature of the human condition, we have to subject ourselves to a wide variety of experiences and especially those which are challenging. It gets me into trouble sometimes though; what might initially be a pursuit of endurance and wisdom tends to veer towards sheer idiocy and recklessness at times. 😂

[Astarlessnightsky]

Pretty low scores.

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

That seems very good and healthy to me. Experience seeking seems very healthy to me provided it doesn't veer towards dangerous substances. Mine did have a tendency to do that; being a bit too down to party and try whatever drugs anyone has available.

[12karen]

Lol.

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Not too extreme! Seems healthy and good. I get into trouble way too much.

[laly520]

hmm

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Someone else with 10/10 on thrill seeking, although I'm amazed that you have 0/0 on the boredom susceptibility. How does this manifest in your regular life if I may ask?

[laly520]

I think im way too used to it to notice how it manifest anymore lol
but I think its cuz of my personality nature which is very patient n flexible
I won't mind what others consider too boring n I do like living a slow peaceful life even if it has repetitive patterns

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

That sounds like a very desirable quality to me. I've become a total city type of kid. The town I live in isn't even that small but a side of me misses the wild adventures and nightlife of Tokyo, even the noise and glowing signs. Trying to mellow out and become more of a nature type of person but I'm so used to sensory overload.

[laly520]

I can understand that
I do live in a big city myself n all of what u mentioned could be tempting to just let go n have some fun

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

I think I was unhealthily addicted to losing control especially in Tokyo. It's liberating as I see it to lose control of ourselves sometimes. Yet it's also so irresponsible. Been trying to embrace greater responsibility for which I first need control over myself. Still, I have a love for this song. It reminds me of losing control in Tokyo.
https://youtu.be/ZeSN4PntOos

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Oh wait, all my glowing discussion of losing control is tempting me to drink. I should refrain from that. 😅 There's always also an ugly side to it like loneliness and feeling lost even with so many people around us. It's a most strange allure and a most attractive illusion which ends up being hollow each time over the deeper experiences in life. But it's an attractive illusion.

[laly520]

not only the loneliness but self destruction as well
I have seen lot of people lose emselves after pursuing such lifestyle

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Definitely was always a big risk in my case. I always denied accusations of masochism and self-destruction but there's always a tightrope as I saw it between flirting with excitement and danger and just straight up harming ourselves. I might have veered towards the latter side too often.

[laly520]

oh my
I am glad u r safe now n nth bad has happened in past

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Cheers! Marriage helped a lot for me. When I was a bachelor, I didn't really think about how actions that harm me hurt other people. With my wife, I started to think about it a lot more.

[laly520]

yes
getting married n having ur own family is great factor in making person more considering how to behave cuz its no longer solo mode but duo

[HawkPerception]

Those were mine.

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Not far apart on the thrill and adventure seeking! That's the one that I suspect gets me most into trouble. I don't know about you but it seems to me like sane people assess risk vs. reward. I have a tendency to see the risk as the reward. 😅

[HawkPerception]

I love thrills, but I'm not stupid with some things. Like if there's a cliff that looks like it can be jumped from, I'm testing the water below or watching some other idiot jump without testing before I do.

I take calculated risks, but I enjoy a life full of dangerous things. My family is always like "There he goes again. Doing something stupid. Don't follow his lead." When in reality, I actually always take a safe risk and only do things I know are possible.

Like I'll hang from a bridge if I'm 100% sure I can do it. I've done it before. I've climbed up 10m street lights and hung on the top with one hand because I was 100% sure I could do it.

I do stuff like that 😂

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

I'm similar there. I'm a lifelong skater like this (pic from my teen years; my pads were falling off since I had to borrow some for the contest -- not used to wearing them for mini-ramps, only vert):


It's not the most dangerous sport but involves taking slams all the time. I find it so stimulating though that just about everything else in life seems relatively boring without doing something equally or more thrilling like bungee jumping, skydiving, go-cart racing (I just recently started, want to graduate to motorcycles), etc.

Some of my risks weren't always calculated though. Actually on the week at my wedding with my wife just days after we got married, she ended up crying (one of the few times I ever saw her cry) because I tried to showboat to my friends while drunk by standing on top of a handrail atop a skyscraper.

That made me feel so guilty to see my wife cry like that so I've been increasingly careful not to go full-blown stupid ever again.

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Also used to get into drunken brawls all the time at bars. Nothing serious but just incredibly dumb. I got this just last year and suffered a chest contusion where I couldn't breathe very well without coughing for weeks. Wasn't too horrid but it's like, "Geez, I'm getting really dumb." The writing on my chest isn't a tat, just marker to show someone I'm not a catfish.

Decided something is wrong with me and that and a load of other things is what prompted me to finally quit drinking.

[Dongie]

I scored 3/10, 4/10, 4/10, 4/10.

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

That seems very good and practical to me. I have a horrible tendency to invite way too much trouble.

[Dongie]

Its come upon me with age. But I guess it beats the alternative.