This Is Your Brain on Extreme Sports

The ABC's science program Catalyst featured a report about the differences between us normaloids and the real thrill seekers in the world - base jumpers, hang gliders, mountain climbers and so on - and the function of their brains. Turns out that they lack dopamine and serotonin:

High novelty seekers tend to have low levels of dopamine and potentially what it implies is that people undertake risky or novel type experiences in order to bring up their levels of dopamine.

When it comes to low harm avoidance, the neurochemistry is less clear, though there’s some suggestion it’s linked to low levels of the calming chemical, serotonin.

But what we do know is that people with low harm avoidance are far less prone to the physiological state known as anxiety.

The full article - which you can read or watch online - is full of lots of interesting information about our thrill-seeking friends...