Novelty Seeking
Desires new and varied experiences. Bored easily.
Average user score
61
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High scorers are curious and exploratory. They seek out novel and stimulating activities in order to feel aroused and energized.
While high scorers are more likely to be Impulsive and reckless in pursuit of new experiences; impulsivity is not a required precondition of novelty seeking. Indeed it is possible to be a responsible and moderate novelty seeker.
Novelty seeking and Sensation-Seeking are related but distinct traits.
Sensation seeking is a general tendency to seek out new and exciting experiences, and is characterized by a desire for thrill and adventure.
Novelty seeking, on the other hand, is specifically a desire for new and varied experiences, and is characterized by a tendency to become bored easily and a need for change and novelty in one's environment.
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In general, novelty seeking is thought to be related to the neurotransmitter dopamine and the brain's reward system.
It is believed that people who score high on measures of novelty seeking have a particularly sensitive dopamine reward system, which leads them to seek out new and novel experiences in order to stimulate the release of dopamine and experience pleasure.
For this reason, novelty-seeking can become like an addiction, where we find ourselves needing more extreme (and perhaps harmful) novelty to get our “fix.”