![]() ![]() While this is a correlation rather than a causation, another study found that taking a substance called haloperidol, which disrupts dopamine’s effects within the brain, led to a measurable decrease in sensation seeking behaviour. The review found that individuals who happen to have higher levels of dopamine also score more highly on measures of sensation seeking behaviour. But there is no evidence that resting levels of endorphins might explain sensation seeking, they are more likely a response to the thrill than a predictor of whether we enjoy it.Ī recent review instead looked at the role of dopamine, another chemical messenger substance in the brain that is important in the functioning of neurological reward pathways. Could differences in brain chemistry explain sensation seeking behaviours? The experiment with bungee jumpers suggest that people with higher levels of endorphins feel higher levels of euphoria. The role of dopamineīut roller coasters are not everybody’s cup of tea. This suggests that thrill seekers riding roller coasters perceive the experience as stressful in a positive way. While lung function predictably reduced from the screaming and general upheaval, so did the feeling of shortness of breath. Having noted previous research findings that stress leads asthma sufferers to perceive their asthma symptoms as more severe, they wondered whether an opposite effect might be possible by applying eustress.Īnd so, in the name of science, some asthmatic student volunteers were transported to a theme park and rode a roller coaster while their respiratory function was checked. They were interested in asthma, and specifically its relationship with stress. We know that a roller coaster ride can be experienced as a “eustressful” experience thanks to an intriguing study carried out by two Dutch psychologists. For example, when it comes to driving at speeds above the legal limit, many people do it, not just sensation seekers. But the evidence for linking sensation seeking to speed is not compelling. But what sensation do roller coasters provide that is so alluring? At first glance, it may seem to be down to the experience of speed. But with queues occasionally as long as eight hours for an average ride of under two minutes – not to mention reports of riders suffering strokes, brain deformation and serious injury due to crashes – how come we put ourselves through it? What is it about roller coasters that some love so much, and is it an experience we tend to like less as we get older?Įnjoying roller coasters is linked to sensation seeking – the tendency to enjoy varied, novel and intense physical experiences such as rock climbing and parachute jumping. ![]() Gravity-propelled railways built to transport coal from up in the mountains down to the town in Pennsylvania, US, were hired out at weekends by fare-paying passengers riding purely for the fun of it. But they actually date back to the mid-1800s. Roller coasters may seem like a very modern type of entertainment – constantly getting bigger, faster and scarier thanks to advances in technology. ![]()
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