What Makes Someone an Adrenaline Junkie?

What Is an "Adrenaline Junkie?"

"Adrenaline junkie" is a term used to refer to someone who favors high-risk activities for the rush that accompanies them. The term was first popularly used in the 1991 movie "Point Break." Related to this phenomenon, many people seek out high-sensation experiences for the neurophysiological effects.

Physiological mechanisms underlying temperament lead people to seek what feels to them like just the right amount of stimulation in a given situation. This experience of "just the right amount" of stimulation or sensation is deeply interconnected with psychological mechanisms of motivation and varies across people with different personality traits.

In fact, a 2016 study of parachute jumpers found that personality is the greatest predictor of whether a person is likely to undertake risky behavior. High anxiety sensation seeking may characterize the so-called "adrenaline junkie."

The Science Behind the Need for Stimulation in Adrenaline Junkies

Capacity for cognitive control is impaired or enhanced depending on whether a given task requires suppression of or attention to various motivational cues, according to a 2010 study.

Release of norepinephrine in the amygdala, the area of the brain activated during the stress response, may represent a key component of the transition to dependence, according to a 2009 study. Meanwhile, another study focused on the avoidance-type behaviors often found in PTSD. In this 2018 animal study, researchers found that amygdala stimulation leads to decreased avoidance behaviors.

The term "adrenaline junkie" may have you thinking that the noradrenergic system alone is implicated in sensation-seeking behavior. A 2017 review explores how the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin also greatly impact the ability to regulate impulsivity and risk-taking. The review also examines how the systems that involve these neurotransmitters are dysregulated in people with substance use disorders.

Meanwhile, a 2016 study of so-called adrenaline junkies such as rock climbers found that regular climbers experienced frequent and intense craving states and negative effect when they stopped climbing, similar to individuals with substance use disorders.

Everyday Sensation-Seeking

You don’t have to be a bank robber, skydiver, or another obvious type of danger-seeker to be hooked on the rush that comes from a little stress. In fact, you could be somewhat hooked on stimulation in your everyday life and not realize it.

A 2010 study suggests that neurotic individuals may create drama and crises in their lives to trigger the body’s stress response, get the rush that comes with the excitement, and reduce their negative mood. Extroverted individuals may take risks to reinforce positive experiences.

Addiction to stimulation is not currently classified as a disorder in the DSM, however, impulsivity risk-taking behavior is relevant to a number of mental health conditions that may warrant additional treatment, such as ADHD, PTSD, and substance use disorder. Behavioral addictions are also newly becoming recognized as valid psychiatric disorders, with pathological gambling earning a spot in the DSM-5-TR, as explored by a 2015 journal article.

Management for Adrenaline Junkies

While leading an exciting life in and of itself isn’t a problem, unwittingly creating crises for yourself or becoming needlessly engulfed in stressful situations can take its toll. If you tend to create more drama in your life than is necessary, the benefit of becoming aware of it is twofold:

1. You can begin to keep things exciting but take the "crisis edge" off, paring down unnecessarily stressful activities. You can also try distinguishing the subtle difference between a true crisis and a somewhat overblown situation.
2. You can practice relaxation techniques to reverse your body’s stress response when you find yourself overwhelmed so you don’t experience the full negative effects of chronic stress.