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

In past research, heavy metal and/or rock music has been found to be related to high sensation seeking (Arnett, 1992, 1995; Litle & Zuckerman, 1986; Zuckerman, 1994). In this study, punk emerged as a genre of music that is associated with high sensation seeking. Similar to heavy metal and rock music, punk is loud and raucous, and is still seen as being out of the mainstream. Liking reggae was also related to higher sensation seeking, perhaps because it is outside the norm for this sample of mostly Euroamerican and Hispanic students.

In conclusion, the results may indicate that there are subtypes of sensation seekers. Some may need physical thrills, and others may satisfy their need for stimulation through being with friends, listening to music, or using the Internet.