I was at a waterfall recently. Cliff drop, 25 ft fall, minimum. The water temperature was a maximum of 15°C (that’s cold). There were two guys standing on top wearing wetsuits. As the thought of “Are you crazy?! No you won’t!” passed through my head, the first one leapt and the second followed. I thought (and still think) they were crazy. I spoke to them after they finished seven more jumps, climbing back up each time. They were adventure sport athletes. Their reasoning was simple: “It's exciting and it never gets old.” The explanation is logical — but it does not cover everything. I have worked with individuals who dwell in such high-risk zones, so let’s find out more.
Is it only brain chemistry?
Almost all extreme sports have some element of danger to life. In such situations, there is increased adrenaline and a big boost of dopamine in the body. Both of them give a hint of clarity and utter focus. That’s one reason why people do it — to “feel the rush”. The adrenaline spike increases blood flow to the brain and simultaneously converts glycogen into glucose in our liver (that feels good!). And that is why the rush is never enough, such people will always seek stronger emotions.
But, it is not just about brain chemistry. There is a social element as well. By definition, extreme sports are ‘extreme’ because there is an active risk of dying. Most extreme sports require other people. These create a powerful social clue underpinned by trust. Think about a scenario where you are about to jump out of a perfectly functioning aeroplane. Would you jump if you did not trust your partner who packed the parachute? That’s the beginning of an Agatha Christie novel, isn’t it?
Most extreme sports require bonding with other people, underpinned by trust Shutterstock
We also see this type of bonding in careers that require decisions under high pressure and a natural trust in the ability of another. Think about military personnel, media fieldwork, pilots, lawyers or emergency-room doctors. They often call these types of friendships ‘different’ — with good reason. The element that separates these activities from anything else is that every member is key to the success of the project. You are probably thinking, only a few jobs or things in life require this. After all, we have all been let down in group projects. I’ll give you another example that requires all members to be successful and therefore requires trust: a relationship (some would call that an extreme sport too!).
Can anyone be attracted to extreme sports?
The short answer is no. Participation in extreme sports requires people to be high in ‘agreeableness’ and ‘openness to experience’ — two personality traits — and high in something called ‘sensation seeking’. Simply put, they are agreeable to new things, always open to novel experiences that give them a sensation that daily life does not. Coincidentally, high sensation seeking is also seen in addictive behaviours such as alcohol, smoking and gambling. So, it's not always a good thing.
High levels of sensation seeking also explains that one friend we all have who does not seem to be consistent with their job or relationships. People like this have grown up in uncertain environments where quick change was always rewarded. In their mind, their ability to constantly jump from one thing to another is directly linked to their tendency to underestimate risk and overestimate their abilities. So anyone and everyone is not attracted to extreme sports. You need a certain combination of sensation seeking behaviour, openness to new experiences in personality traits, and high levels of disinhibition to want to actively participate in extreme sports. Essentially, your psychological makeup does not perceive risk as a direct threat. Rather it looks at the risk as a necessary process to gain the ‘thrill’ at the end of it.
If your personality makeup is generally at the non-extreme end, engaging in thrill-seeking behaviours may trigger your anxiety Shutterstock
High risk, no reward: Adventure sport in normal day-to-day life
Adventure sport athletes and others who share their makeup usually have a very difficult time in day-to-day life. Daily life is too boring for them. There is no spike to satisfy their craving. But we are all sensation seekers. Whether it is to try out a new restaurant or take on a new project at work, or leave a salaried job to start a business. Fundamentally, all of them come from a desire to seek new and complex experiences. With the rise of social media culture and travel vlogs, there has also been a dedicated marketing push to advertise sensation seeking. But it is not for everyone. If your personality makeup is generally at the non-extreme end, engaging in thrill-seeking behaviours may trigger your anxiety and harm your mental health. So while the two cliff divers were perfectly happy and chasing the positive emotion, someone else in their position could have had a panic attack on top of the waterfall.
A key part of being an adventure sport athlete is the comfort to deal in absolute uncertainty. They are perfectly fine with negative consequences. Most people have an acceptable risk margin (10%, 20%, 30%, anything beyond and they pause). Adventure sport athletes are okay with 90% risk. Why? Because all they see is the 10% chance of the thrill.
Dr Sahen Gupta is a Kolkata-born, India- and UK-based psychologist who divides his time between mental health support and high-performance coaching. As the founder of Discovery Sport & Performance Lab, he works not only with Olympians and other top-level sportspersons, but also with CEOs and other professionals striving for excellence. Dr Gupta’s mission is to simplify complexities of the mind into actionable and simple ‘doables’ that allow individuals to be mentally fit.