Thrill-Seeker and Risk-Taker Psychology

In this episode, Dr. Bennett discusses the exuberant and sometimes dangerous psychology of thrill seeking, a personality trait also known as risk taking and sensation seeking.

Take this test to see if you are high or low on this personality dimension. For each item, you must choose A or B, depending on which best describes you.
1a.  I would like a job that requires a lot of traveling.
1b.  I would prefer a job in one location.

2a.  I am invigorated by a brisk, cold day.
2b.  I can’t wait to go inside on a cold day.

3a.  I get bored seeing the same old faces.
3b.  I like the comfortable familiarity of everyday friends.

4a.  I would prefer living in an ideal society in which everyone is safe secure,  & happy.
4b.  I would have preferred living in the unsettled days of our history.

5a.  I sometimes like to do things that are a little bit frightening.
5b.  A sensible person avoids activities that are dangerous.

6a.  I would not like to be hypnotized.
6b.  I would like to have the experience of being hypnotized.

7a.  The most important goal in life is to live it to the fullest and experience as much as possible.
7b.  The most important goal in life is to find peace and happiness.

8a.  I would like to try parachute-jumping.
8b.  I would not like to try jumping out of an airplane, with or without a parachute.

9a.  I enter cold water gradually, giving myself time to get used to it.
9b.  I like to dive or jump right into the ocean or a cold pool.

10a.  When I go on vacation, I prefer the comfort of a good room and bed.
10b.  When I go on vacation, I prefer the change of camping out.

11a.  I prefer people who are emotionally expressive even if they are a bit unstable.
11b.  I prefer people who are calm and even tempered.

12a.  A good painting should shock or jolt the senses.
12b.  A good painting should give one a feeling of peace and security.

13a.  People who ride motorcycles must have some kind of unconscious need to hurt themselves.
13b.  I would like to drive or ride a motorcycle.

Give yourself 1 point for each of these that you have circled:  1a, 2a, 3a, 4b, 5a, 6b, 7a, 8a, 9b, 10b, 11a, 1

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A psych professor's podcast about danger, deception, and desire. From the ugly truth about rage rooms and our unhealthy obsession with serial killers, to the ancestral wisdom of goosebumps and the science behind why we keep playing the lottery, join Dr. Kevin Bennett—Penn State University Beaver Campus Teaching Professor, Psychology Today contributor, and fellow at the Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health (UD/MH)—as we unmask the power of danger, deception, and desire through sensational stories and savvy behavioral science.

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