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High Sensation Seeking

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ColdBlooded
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18 Jul 2009, 1:13 am

OddDuckNash99 wrote:
ColdBlooded wrote:
Often these thrill rides involve loud noises, people screaming, etc.. None of which bother me very much in that specific situation. Makes no sense :?

Yes, I'm the same way. Normally, I cannot stand being in crowds or people screaming for fun. But I adore standing in line for rollercoasters among many other coaster addicts, most of whom are acting immature and screaming or whatever. It's really the only time I feel a camaraderie with neurotypicals. I also don't mind randomly striking up conversations with strangers in line for a coaster, just because I know that I can talk about my special interest and have others actually know what coasters I'm talking about.



YEAH! Fellow coaster fanatic! On a coaster, i usually like to see/hear peoples' reactions too, especially the extreme reactions of people who are riding it for the first time when you reach the top of the first lift("OHMYGOD THIS IS TOO HIGH, OHMYGODOHMYGODDDDDDDDDD AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"), lol. And i usually hate people screaming and yelling.



marshall
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18 Jul 2009, 2:22 am

YES! All the traits apply to me. I'm both highly sensitive and a sensation seeker. Come to think of it most of my hobbies/interests involve sensation seeking in one way or another.

I also have a pattern of seeking out intense emotional content. I like thinking and analyzing the darker elements of the universe, both in nature and in society. Really traumatic, horrific, emotionally gripping books/movies stimulate me in a positive way. I have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with ruminating on thoughts that stir up anger and outrage. I guess any form of stimulation feels better than no stimulation.



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18 Jul 2009, 2:36 am

Oh. Recently I've had a bit of an obsession on the writings of Franz Kafka. He strikes me as an archetypical example of a highly sensitive person. All his stories are written from the perspective of a protagonist who experiences and describes his environment as well as his own internal thoughts in excruciating detail. Most people tend to find his stuff monotonous and slightly insane but I can somehow relate to it.



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18 Jul 2009, 4:46 pm

I do see myself as more of a sensory seeker than an avoider and my "Stims" are neally always tactile and I do enjoy parties with really loud music and that. I rarely overload.


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EvoVari
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18 Jul 2009, 6:01 pm

willmark wrote:
In the nomenclature of Elaine Aron http://www.hsperson.com/ , I am a Highly Sensitive Person who is also High Sensation Seeking. That combination is supposed to be rare, but I have never taken my own survey, so I don't really know for sure. I have wondered if people who are HSP are just higher up on the spectrum, or if they are sensitive for different reasons.

I have also wondered if Aspies could be defined as High Sensation Seeking Highly Sensitive Persons, but I don't read much in posts here about folks striving to intensify their stimulation level as high as they can stand it without overwhelming themselves, the way I do, but many talk about always seeking new things to learn. That is kind of the same thing I suppose.

I am curious what others here think about this.


I am an overly sensative person who constantly seeks out stimulation(HSS), whether through activities or social interaction. Both can cause major issues for me with becoming too aroused and I'm woeful at conversation. People become uncomfortable with some of my behaviour and fixed stares. Engaging in sports or gambling for the stimulation causes impulsive risk taking and unwanted consequences.