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Sensation Seeking Scale

Are you the type of person who likes to live life on the wild side? Take this personality test to find out.

Mark Travers, Ph.D.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D.

November 11, 2023

Mark Travers, Ph.D., is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, responsible for new client intake and placement. Mark received his B.A. in psychology, magna cum laude, from Cornell University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder. His academic research has been published in leading psychology journals and has been featured in The New York Times and The New Yorker, among other popular publications. He is a regular contributor for Forbes and Psychology Today, where he writes about psycho-educational topics such as happiness, relationships, personality, and life meaning. Click here to schedule an initial consultation with Mark or another member of the Awake Therapy team. Or, you can drop him a note here.

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The Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS) is a concise yet powerful tool designed to measure an individual's inclination towards seeking novel and thrilling experiences. Developed by personality psychologists, the BSSS emerged as a response to the growing need for a brief and efficient assessment of sensation-seeking tendencies. This scale taps into the essence of sensation seeking, capturing the innate desire for excitement, variety, and risk-taking behavior that varies across individuals.

Comprising eight items, the BSSS provides a rapid and reliable snapshot of one's sensation-seeking tendencies.

You can take this test here. Follow all of the steps to receive your results.

References: Hoyle R. H., Stephenson M. T., Palmgreen P., Lorch E. P., Donohew L. Reliability and validity of scores on a brief measure of sensation seeking. Pers Individ Dif 2002; 32: 401–14.

Step 1: Rate the following statements based on how much you agree with them on a scale of strongly disagree to strongly agree.

1. I like to explore strange places.

2. I like to make a trip without any previously planned routes or schedules.

3. I feel restless when I spend a lot of time at home.

4. I’d rather have exciting and unpredictable friends.

5. I like doing scary things.

6. I would like to practice extreme sports such as bungee jumping.

7. I like wild parties.

8. I like to have new and exciting experiences, even if they are illegal.

0 of 0 questions answered

Step 2: Enter your age, gender, region, and first name so we can provide you with a detailed report that compares your test scores with people similar to you.

What is your age?

What is your gender?

What region of the world do you live in?

What is your first name?

Step 3: Check to make sure you've provided answers to all of the statements/questions above. Once you've done that, click the button below to send your responses to Awake Therapy's Lead Psychologist, Mark Travers, Ph.D. He will provide you with an overview of how you scored relative to others (all answers are anonymized and confidential to protect users' privacy). He can also answer any follow-up questions you may have.