Sensation Seeking, Risk Taking, and Health

Abstract

In this chapter, Zuckerman concentrates on the literature pertaining to the concept of risk taking/sensation seeking as it relates to health concerns. After discussing the data on hypertension and sensation seekers—much of it showing a seemingly more dangerous elevated blood pressure in low scorers on the sensation seeking scale—he describes similar counter-intuitive results for users of nicotine, alcohol, and other drugs. He analyzes the consistent finding that risk takers, along with smokers, drinkers, and drug users have lower blood pressure than their more abstemious counterparts. A large section of the chapter is devoted to smoking, “... a major risk factor, not only for lung cancer, but for other types of cancer and cardiovascular disease as well.” He reviews the changes in the demographics of smoking during the last 15 to 20 years, based on data he gathered in 1970 and in 1986. The association between smoking and the sensation seeking dimension is a complex one; although every group seems to be smoking less since 1970, the high sensation seeker is still the greater user of nicotine. The data are moderated by such factors as gender, amount smoked, time since beginning to smoke, and amount of smoke inhaled. It is of note that level of sensation seeking appears to be unrelated to success in quitting or attempts to quit. Also explored in this chapter are the reasons for smoking; the evidence indicates that high sensation seekers smoke both to increase arousal and, at times, to decrease negatively toned arousal.