Sensation Seeking test (SSS-V)
See what each component means, how the test is scored, and how a result is read against the population that actually fits you.
Sensation seeking is the drive to look for novel, varied, complex and intense experiences - and a willingness to take physical, social or financial risks to get them. Marvin Zuckerman built the four-component model behind it, and the trait sits on a continuum everyone falls somewhere along: higher means a stronger appetite for stimulation, not a problem in itself.
The model
What it measures
Select a component to see the everyday tendencies it draws together. Zuckerman split sensation seeking into four facets: a taste for risky physical thrills, a hunger for new experiences of the mind and senses, a pull toward disinhibited social stimulation, and a low tolerance for monotony.
The four components correlate but capture different flavours of the same underlying drive. The original Sensation Seeking Scale Form V (SSS-V) measures them with 40 forced-choice item pairs; the open Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS) covers the same four components in eight short rated statements and is the version most used today. Higher on a component means a stronger appetite for that kind of stimulation.
A desire for risky, exciting physical activities - speed, heights and adventure sports.
- TASThrill & Adventure Seeking
A desire for risky, exciting physical activities - speed, heights and adventure sports.
Facets: Adventure sports, Speed and heights, Physical risk-taking, Adrenaline.
- ESExperience Seeking
A hunger for new experiences of the mind and senses - travel, art, ideas and unconventional living.
Facets: Novel places, Sensory variety, Unconventionality, Open exploration.
- DISDisinhibition
A pull toward uninhibited social stimulation - parties, spontaneity and breaking routine.
Facets: Lively socialising, Spontaneity, Risk for fun, Letting loose.
- BSBoredom Susceptibility
A low tolerance for monotony and repetition - restlessness when things stay the same.
Facets: Restlessness, Need for change, Dislike of routine, Craving variety.
The evidence
Science and validity
Sensation seeking is a well-established trait with decades of research and a clear biological grounding. It correlates with extraversion and openness, peaks in late adolescence and declines with age, and predicts risk-relevant behaviour - faster driving, novelty in leisure, and, at the higher end, more alcohol, tobacco and other risk-taking. The brief measure shows good internal consistency for the total (Cronbach's alpha around .76), and the same four-component structure replicates across many languages.
On the brief scale you rate eight statements on a 5-point agree-disagree scale, two per component, and the headline score is the mean of all eight - the two-item components are kept for content coverage rather than reported as precise standalone scores. The original SSS-V instead uses 40 forced-choice item pairs and sums the sensation-seeking-keyed choices. Either way there are no pass/fail cut-offs; a result is read against a comparison group.
Where you stand
How a score becomes a percentile
A raw score only means something against a comparison group. For example, on the brief 1-5 metric a Thrill & Adventure Seeking score of 3.8 sits above the average for adult reference data (where the mean is near 3.2), placing it around the 75th percentile - a stronger appetite for physical thrills than roughly three in four adults. Drag the slider to see how a score on each component maps to a percentile; your real result is matched to the population that fits you when you take the test.
Your result, visualised across every dimension
Take the test once and see a full profile like this example, each dimension placed against the population most relevant to you, with plain-language interpretation.
See my full profile →Example profile shown for illustration.
The reference data
Benchmarked against the population that fits you
We benchmark your result against the population that actually resembles you, across 7 reference groups.
Each reference group is used as its own benchmark, not to rank one country against another.
How it works
What the questions feel like
Illustrative statements showing the style of the items. These are examples, not the official scored items.
I would enjoy trying an extreme sport like skydiving or rock climbing.
Illustrative example in the style of the scale, not an official scored item.
I like to explore unfamiliar places with no fixed plan.
Illustrative example, not an official scored item.
I enjoy a lively, spontaneous party where anything might happen.
Illustrative example, not an official scored item.
I get restless when my days become too predictable.
Illustrative example, not an official scored item.
Honest strengths and limitations
Strengths
- A well-validated trait with a clear biological basis and strong links to real-world novelty- and risk-seeking behaviour.
- Covers four distinct flavours of the drive for stimulation, from physical thrills to a simple dislike of routine.
- Available as a short, free measure (the BSSS) that maps onto the classic four-component model in just eight items.
Limitations
- The original SSS-V uses a forced-choice format with dated, US-centric item content, which is why the brief Likert version is now preferred.
- On the brief scale the four components are only two items each, so component scores are indicative rather than precise; the eight-item total is the reliable headline figure.
- Like all self-reports it can be shaped by self-presentation, and because sensation seeking shifts with age, percentiles depend heavily on the comparison group.
See your full profile
A complete report, matched to the population that fits you, with plain-language interpretation of every trait.
Frequently asked questions
What does a sensation seeking test measure?
It measures how strongly you seek out novel, varied and intense experiences and how willing you are to take risks for them. Zuckerman's model breaks that drive into four components: Thrill & Adventure Seeking, Experience Seeking, Disinhibition and Boredom Susceptibility.
Is high sensation seeking a bad thing?
No. Sensation seeking is normal-range personality variation. At the higher end it fuels curiosity, exploration and a taste for adventure; it is also linked statistically to more risk-taking, so the trait is best read as a tendency to be aware of, not a flaw or a diagnosis.
How is it scored?
On the brief scale you rate eight statements on a 5-point agree-disagree scale; the headline score is the mean of all eight, with the four two-item components kept for content coverage. The original SSS-V uses 40 forced-choice pairs summed to a 0-40 total. There are no clinical cut-offs - the score is read against a comparison group.
How long does it take?
A couple of minutes for the eight-item brief version; about eight minutes for the full 40-item SSS-V.
Related tests
- Zuckerman, M., Eysenck, S., & Eysenck, H. J. (1978). Sensation seeking in England and America: Cross-cultural, age, and sex comparisons. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 46(1), 139-149.
- Hoyle, R. H., Stephenson, M. T., Palmgreen, P., Lorch, E. P., & Donohew, R. L. (2002). Reliability and validity of a brief measure of sensation seeking. Personality and Individual Differences, 32(3), 401-414.
- Zuckerman, M. (1994). Behavioral Expressions and Biosocial Bases of Sensation Seeking. Cambridge University Press.
The Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS-V) is the work of Marvin Zuckerman and colleagues (1978) and is permission-gated; the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS) is the work of Hoyle and colleagues (2002) and is free with citation. This independent informational page describes the instruments.