Friends, porn, and punk: sensation seeking in personal relationships, Internet activities, and music preference among college students

Adolescence, Summer, 2004 by Robert S. Weisskirch, Laurel C. Murphy

Individuals may differ radically from one another in their need for excitement. These differences in levels of desired stimulation or arousal involve a personality trait known as sensation seeking. Zuckerman (1994) has defined sensation seeking as "the seeking of varied, novel, complex, and intense sensations and experiences and the willingness to take physical, social, legal, and financial risks for the sake of such experience" (p. 27). Sensation seeking includes risk-taking, which typically satisfies the high sensation seeking individual's desire for novel and intense experiences (Arnett, 1996; Jessor, 1992). For example, to the high sensation seeker, substance use leads to novel mind states, and skydiving renders intense arousal. Sensation seeking generally peaks in adolescence and diminishes in adulthood (Arnett, 1992; Zuckerman, 1994).

This personality trait manifests itself in a variety of risky behaviors. Risk appraisal is lower for the high sensation seeker, even if the individual has had no previous experience with a potentially detrimental activity (Horvath & Zuckerman, 1993; Zuckerman, 1979, as cited in Zuckerman & Kuhlman, 2000). A high sensation seeker might choose to use alcohol or marijuana despite possible addiction, overdose, and legal, social, and school-related problems (Zuckerman & Kuhlman, 2000). High sensation seekers engage in more risky sexual behaviors, characterized by a greater number of sexual partners and less frequent use of condoms (Zuckerman, 1994). Sensation seeking relates to both extraversion, specifically impulsivity and sociability, and psychoticism, as illustrated by hypomanic tendencies in high sensation seekers and phobic tendencies and schizophrenia in low sensation seekers (Zuckerman, 1994). The degree to which risky behaviors are exhibited depends on the interaction of environmental factors, particularly socialization, and predisposing genetic factors (Arnett, 1992).

Social context influences participation in risky behaviors (Comeau, Stewart, & Loba, 2001). Arnett (1992) has noted that adolescents are attracted to friends with similar levels of sensation seeking. In these friendships, high sensation seekers can reaffirm their negative worldviews with one another (Breivik, 1996). Because risky behaviors are hardly ever committed alone, participation strengthens camaraderie and reinforces friendships (Arnett, 1992). When family or community does not tolerate a particular risky behavior, friends serve as antisocialization partners, supporting the behavior (Arnett, 1992).

Self-disclosure is one of the most important components of intimacy in personal relationships (Franken, Gibson, & Mohan, 1990). High sensation seekers participate in more self-disclosure in casual and close friendships than low sensation seekers (Zuckerman, 1994). Low sensation seekers might be expected to disclose to fewer people in order to fulfill their need for intimacy, while high sensation seekers are expected to have more friends, especially casual friends (Franken, Gibson, & Mohan, 1990). Thus, sensation seeking affects the choice of friends and the level of intimacy within the friendship group.

Arnett (1995) has asserted that adolescents also use media as a means of socialization, particularly in regard to sensation seeking. Further, high sensation seekers use media to provide the stimulation that they desire. For example, Perse (1996) has reported that high sensation seekers watch action/adventure television shows more than other genres.

The socializing potential of the Internet, a relatively new form of media, is enormous. With its expanding connectivity and interactivity, the Internet can increasingly shape development during adolescence, a time of greater sensation seeking. The Internet provides opportunities for high arousal and stimulation, such as chat rooms, music, gambling, interactive video games, and streaming video (even real-time sexual shows). In their study of college students' emotional arousal when accessing sexually explicit material on-line, Goodson, McCormick, and Evans (2000) support the notion that the Internet can provide a venue for sensation seeking. Further, Lin and Tsai (2002) found that Taiwanese adolescents who were Internet dependent (i.e., addicted) had higher levels of sensation seeking and disinhibition than those who were not Internet dependent.

Music also socializes adolescents and is related to sensation seeking. According to Zuckerman (1994), high sensation seekers prefer music that is "intense, complex, novel, and dissonant." Most research examining sensation seeking and music preference has focused on the influence of rock and/or heavy metal music on arousal levels or subsequent behavior (Arnett, 1991; Litle & Zuckerman, 1986; McNamara & Ballard, 1999; Roberts, Dimsdale, East, & Friedman, 1998). Litle and Zuckerman (1986) found that preference for rock music was positively related to sensation seeking, while preference for slower music was negatively related to sensation seeking. Because rock music often is played loudly and contains sounds that are "dissonant with complex rhythms and harmony," it is attractive to the high sensation seeker (Litle & Zuckerman, 1986, p. 576). In fact, high sensation seekers prefer rock and heavy metal because of the arousing quality of the music (Arnett, 1991, 1996; Litle & Zuckerman, 1986; McNamara & Ballard, 1999).