High Thrill and Adventure Seeking is Associated with Reduced Interoceptive Sensitivity: Evidence for an Altered Sex-specific Homeostatic Processing in High Sensation Seekers

Objective: The personality trait of sensation seeking (SS) has been traditionally linked to the construct of exteroception, i.e. sensing of the outside world. Little is known about the relationship between SS and interoception, i.e. sensing originating in the body. Interoceptive sensations have strong affective and motivational components that may influence behaviors such as risk-taking in SS. This investigation examined whether interoceptive differences contribute to different behavioral characteristics in SS.

Method: Using an inspiratory resistive load breathing task, the response to an aversive interoceptive stimulus as a basic homeostatic process was studied in 112 subjects (n=74 females, 38 males). A linear-mixed model approach was used to examine the influence of thrill and adventure seeking (TAS) on the interoceptive response across three levels of breathing resistances (10, 20, 40 cmHO/L/sec).

Results: High relative to low TAS individuals were less responsive in evaluating intensities of perceived choking with increasing inspiratory resistive loads. This effect was driven by male, but not female high TAS individuals and was particularly associated with reduced interoceptive sensitivity in males.

Conclusion: The conceptualization of SS as primarily driven by exteroceptive stimuli can be expanded to a view of an altered homeostasis in SS, specifically in males.