16: High Sensation Seeking

The Highly Sensitive Person Podcast

Kelly

Sensitive, Highlysensitiveperson, Mental Health, Aron, Introversion, Social Sciences, Personality, Mentalhealth, Introvert, Sensitivity, Shyness, Science, Health & Fitness, Hsp, Anxiety, Wellness

4.8 • 676 Ratings

🗓️ 28 October 2014

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Episode 16 of the Highly Sensitive Person Podcast is about High Sensation Seeking HSPs. You have no idea how many times I had to edit myself saying that mouthful of words incorrectly in this episode.

HSPs are careful and evaluate everything around them thoroughly. But those who are also High Sensation Seekers crave excitement, arousal, and new experiences (not necessarily extreme stuff like skydiving or bungee jumping, mind you.) How can those two traits co-exist in the same person?! I think it's an interesting concept.

If you like the podcast, please say "thanks" by leaving a positive review on iTunes! (And if you don't like it, then please don't leave a review!)

Mentioned on this episode: Take the test to see if you are a high sensation seeker

Further reading:

From Dr. Elaine Aron's website: Personality and Temperament: The Highly Sensitive Person Who Is Also A High Sensation Seeker
This blog: Are you a High Sensation Seeking HSP?
This blog: Finding the “stasis of peace”
This blog: How to Travel the World Long-Term When You’re Highly Sensitive

Podcast music attribution: By the Coast (2004) (Antony Raijekov) / CC BY-NC 2.5

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the highly sensitive person podcast, a weekly podcast for people who experience the world brighter, louder, and more intensely.
0:11.3	Join me on a journey of acceptance of our highly sensitive person traits.
0:17.8	Welcome to episode 16 of the highly sensitive person podcast. I'm your host, Kelly. Today, I want to talk about being high sensation seeking. So we've got all of these personality traits, introverts, extroverts, highly sensitive people, and now high sensation seeking, highly sensitive people. So highly sensitive people have
0:40.8	a behavioral inhibition or what you could call a pause to check system. This means that when we
0:47.7	experience a new situation, we pause to determine whether or not we think it's safe to move
0:53.6	forward. This pause may be small,
0:56.5	imperceptible. But sensitive people have a lower than average threshold for overstimulation,
1:02.4	meaning we become overstimulated more easily than the average person. Now, high sensation seekers,
1:09.9	on the other hand, have a strong behavioral activation system,
1:14.8	which is different than the behavioral inhibition that highly sensitives have.
1:19.3	High sensation seekers like to try new things, they don't hesitate before jumping in,
1:24.5	and they have a lower than average threshold for under-stimulation,
1:28.2	meaning that they can get bored easier.
1:31.2	So believe it or not, it's actually possible to have both traits, to be a high
1:35.5	sensation-seeking, highly sensitive person.
1:39.4	It's kind of rare, but it exists, and I'm not quite sure if I'm one or not. Let's talk more about how
1:46.5	it's possible for HSP to be high sensation seeking. Okay, so a high sensation seeker is a person
1:54.2	who seeks out activities or behaviors that allow them to reach a high mental or physical
1:59.5	arousal level.
2:03.3	Now, it doesn't have to be a thrill-seeking activity.
2:07.4	I know the first thing that popped into my head was like skydiving or base jumping.
2:10.0	It doesn't have to be that crazy.
	...

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