The vacation is just over and the thirst for adventure is already throbbing in the body again, the desire for a new experience is great. But what actually makes us humans such adventurers? What is it that makes us feel the adrenaline flow so readily? It makes itself felt even in everyday activities and is one of the reasons why gambling, for example, is so popular. Whether in an Online Casino or at the roulette table in the casino, when we bet, our hearts beat up to our necks. This desire for experience runs through many areas and there are psychological reasons why adventurousness is ingrained in humans.
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The attraction of the forbidden and the special – a psychological effect?
It’s not only exciting adventures that excite us, the forbidden also always draws people under its spell. Things that we achieve easily are less exciting than those for which we have to overcome ourselves, which are improbable and for which we have to fight.
If you went to the casino and knew that you would simply win at every round of roulette, you would quickly lose the fun. Anyone who could easily reach the top of a mountain without difficulty would not even begin the climb. It is the challenges with which we constantly put ourselves to the test that massively increase the fun factor for people.
The same phenomenon can be seen with forbidden things. We already know from history that Adam and Eve could have had everything in paradise, but Eve had to nibble the forbidden fruit because that was precisely what she was supposed to be denied. Psychologically, this is quite simple to explain! People do not want to be restricted in their freedom and so interest is aroused above all when something does not seem so simple and is not attainable from now on. The big jackpot in the casino? Sounds like an unattainable dream and it is exactly this factor that drives us to the table again and again.
Adrenaline as a way of life – on the hunt for the kick
Monotony and boredom are two feelings that people can’t cope with. When everyday life is monotonous, we long to experience an adventure. If we have to continue to be bored, it can have a significant impact on our psychological well-being. There is a piece of our ancestors somewhere in every human being, the escape impulse that drives us on and on, to the next adventure, the next experience.
Of course, there are gradations in terms of the desire for experience. For one person, a visit to a gambling house with friends is pure adrenaline and enough to satisfy the desire for adventure. For the other one it needs genuine border courses, under a tandem jump from the airplane the pulsating hunger for an experience cannot be satisfied. And then there are those people who stay away from any risk, who find adrenaline exhausting and want nothing to do with it. Less risk-taking characters are not necessarily more boring, they have other personal characteristics and are not among those who cannot live without their daily dose of adrenaline.
Sensation Seeking – When Stimulation Becomes Addiction
Sensation Seeking is a well-known phenomenon in psychology, which occurs again and again in different personalities. Basically, experienced psychologists assume that every person has a certain level of arousal. This means that there is an optimal dose of adrenaline for everyone. It is by no means the same, one person needs a large dose, for the next it is just a touch and all needs are already satisfied.
If a person is in a state of deprivation, is not exposed to any stimuli and feels bored, the search for adventure begins all the stronger. Behavioral tendencies vary in intensity; each character is different.
Basically, psychology distinguishes between four different personality types:
“Thrill and Adventure”: people in search of adventure and thrill need very special stimuli to satisfy their desire for adrenaline. Gambling, extreme sports and dangerous situations appeal to this type of person.
“Experience Seeking”: For people of this character structure, the focus is on the desire for new experiences. He likes to get to know foreign cultures and people, try drugs or even get involved in new experiences such as skydiving and short-term extreme situations.
“Disinhibition Seeking”: This adrenaline type benefits from social contact. Stimuli in this area are most important to him, he likes to have blind dates and meet new people everywhere.
“Boredom Susceptibility”: people of this character type hate boredom and feel overwhelmed by routine very quickly. They are always looking for an adrenaline rush when their life has fallen into too calm waters.
Even though the four types are very different, they have one big thing in common. They are more willing to take risks than other people and need varied impressions to strengthen their inner satisfaction. Especially when bored and distant from other people, the desire for adventure can increase rapidly, these people feel boredom as pure stress!
Why adventures are good for people
It sounds a little dangerous when people are permanently on the hunt for adrenaline. But the opposite is true, adventures strengthen the personality and shape the character! Those who leave their own comfort zone and demonstrate courage thus grow beyond themselves. This begins in early childhood, when the seven-year-old dares to jump off the 3-meter tower for the first time in the open-air swimming pool and thus overcomes his fear. He becomes more self-confident, stronger, feels joyfully excited about life.
Adventures broaden the horizon of a person, they provide more courage and more experiences, which are called worth living. People who constantly face new challenges in their free time automatically learn to deal with such situations better in everyday life as well. Ultimately, professional challenges are not so different from those we set ourselves in our free time.
Those who incorporate many adventures into their lives learn that they can achieve a lot, but sometimes they also have to accept failure. If the mountain top was not reached, this is not a reason for shame and disgrace, but a learning effect! Today it did not work, next time, with better preparation, the adventure may become a success. Thus, the hunger for adrenaline is not a bad quality, but one that drives to ever new achievements.