Morrow 1

Edward Morrow
Professor Kelly Bladl
URWT 1102
11/30/2016
Chasing Adrenaline

The rush of adrenaline has been with humans since their very first steps, ensuring that
there was an appropriate response to any given situation. Whether it be fight or flight, adrenaline
helped increase the chance that human survived encounters with danger. Though as humans
become more advanced, the rush of adrenaline factors into daily life in different ways. While
there are still daily dangers that can incur a rush of adrenaline, modern technology has allowed
for people to actively pursue adrenaline rushes. There are a multitude of ways to achieve an
adrenaline rush, from fast cars to extreme sports, and the list only continues to grow. This growth
has led to a few conclusions about the adrenaline affects society in todays world. A better
understanding of the role adrenaline plays can be derived from why people choose to pursue
adrenaline in the first place, understanding the possible limits of pursuing adrenaline, and the
perception society has of adrenaline chasers.
The desire to chase an adrenaline rush can be narrowed down to two main reasons
situated in two different fields. The first reason is situated in the medical field and deals with the
addictive nature of an adrenaline rush. To understand how an adrenaline rush can be addictive
requires a little information on how it happens. When in a stressful situation, such as sky diving,
the human body will produce adrenaline in an effort to force the body into a heightened state,
where the heart is beating faster, the eyes dilate, and more blood flows to muscles that will be
needed for movement. (Adrenaline) Along with adrenaline, dopamine is also produced by the
body during these situations. The dopamine is the key part to adrenaline rushes being addictive.

Dopamine is a hormone that the body uses to recognize reward sensations in the brain. (Patoine)
The body can then become addicted to the pleasurable sensation caused by dopamine acting on
the nervous system, much like drugs of abuse. (Patoine) On the other hand, attraction to pursue
adrenaline rushes can be viewed from a psychological viewpoint. When it comes to personality
types, their relation to risk seeking tendencies tend to be a general correlation. One study shows
the how the four roles of personalities: analysts, diplomats, sentinels, and explorers, respond to
the statement You enjoy the thrill of adrenaline. The survey showed how analyst were the most
likely to agree with the statement. (Adrenaline Junkies) This could be attributed to the
analysts ability to look at a situation and realize that it is completely safe to chase the adrenaline
rush when done so in a professional environment. (Adrenaline Junkies) Other studies show
that risk taking can influenced heavily by peer pressure (Villines). Understanding both
psychological and the physical attraction to risk taking helps to evaluate and recognize how far a
person might push themselves chasing a rush, but when does the chase become too much.
Chasing adrenaline can have its ups and downs. No one is completely safe a hundred
percent of the time, but how much does one risk in effort to have an adrenaline rush. From a pure
health standpoint, too much adrenaline can have a negative effect on your body. Long term
exposure to an abundance of adrenaline can over stress the body. (Hormones and their effects)
Besides the risk to health from over abundance, is the risk of physical harm. Most people chase
adrenaline rushes through extreme sports, stunts or activities. One such activity is racing. Most
races occur on a sanctioned track, but there has been an increase in the amount of illegal street
racing taking place. While the thrill of racing on the street may be high the amount risk is high as
well. For example, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recorded 135 fatal
injuries in the year 2001 that were linked to street racing, this was an increase of 63 from the

previous year. (Race Smart) Other studies show that in a period between 2000 and 2011 there
was a significant increase in head and neck injuries attributed to extreme sports such as
skateboarding, snowboarding, and skiing. As the extreme sports become more readily available
it goes without saying that the amount of injuries will increase. However even with rapid growth
in participants and injuries, physicians have come to better understand head and neck injuries.
(Sharma et al.) Thus, allowing to better treat said injuries and keep up with the demand. Being
that technology is advancing at such a fast rate it is difficult to say when it reaches its limit. The
technology envelope can always be pushed further, but the limit of the human body is on case to
case basis. Some may be able to push further than others achieving things that were never even
considered possible. The limit of what adrenaline junkies can achieve in pursuit of a rush has
not yet been reached, as shown by the push for more dangerous and extravagant methods.
While the limit of adrenaline chasing may not have been reached, the social perception of
adrenaline junkies may be nearing a threshold. Take for starters the term adrenaline junkies. In
the current world, the term junkies usually has a negative connotation, associated to those
addicted to drugs. However, this is the most commonly used term to describe someone who lives
an extreme lifestyle. This could show how society tolerates the behaviors of said individuals.
While some extreme events have garnered major attention and sponsorships others have not been
as quick to receive attention. In an interview with CBS news sports marketer, Joe Favorito,
highlighted "A lot of big brands, (and) rightly so, don't want to take that chance. You don't want
to see blood spattered all over a logo that you've invested millions and millions of dollars in,"
and while this may be still true to some extent it could be said that the times are changing. (Glor)
In talking with a few students on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte,
many wanted were ok with the pursuit of adrenaline. One student admitted that while he may not

rush out to participate in extreme events, he does find ways in his own life to pursue minor
adrenaline rushes, whether that be driving slightly faster through traffic. One recurring theme
among those interviewed is that many agreed that the rush of pursuing the adrenaline was made
more attractive when it felt slightly wrong. This could lead one to believe that the whole appeal
to the trend of pursuing an adrenaline rush could be that it clashes with the norm. While some
may agree with the lifestyle there are still others who look at the risk and consider that risk to be
too high. One article cites the death of Caleb Moore in the X games as an example where the risk
is too high. (Brody) But as companies like Red Bull continue to bring exposure to extreme sports
and adrenaline seeking, the general acceptance by society will continue to grow.
All things considered the pursuit of adrenaline is growing trend that has embedded its
way into the human mindset from early history. It has evolved from a necessity to a casual hobby
for some. With medicine and psychology, an attempt has been made to understand the attraction
to it. Whether that attraction be a physical addiction to release of dopamine, or as a response to
the type of personality a person was born with. By better understanding this attraction the
assumption can be made if there is a limit that comes into play when pursuing an adrenaline rush.
With technology continuing to evolve and support the habit, the biggest limit on the pursuit of
adrenaline is the human body. However, this varies from person to person as the one who is
committed may train themselves harder to reach their goals. The biggest obstacle may come from
society itself. It is true that the adventure seeking lifestyle that goes hand in hand with pursuing
adrenaline is growing. Though many in society may view it as a nuisance, especially concerned
parents. Time will tell whether the controversy over chasing adrenaline will continue or fade.
Keeping in mind everything that has been put forward it can be safe to say that the pursuit of
adrenaline will continue to be around in one form or another.

Works Cited
"Adrenaline Junkies by Personality Type." Adrenaline Junkies by Personality Type |
16Personalities. N.p., 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

Brody, Jane E. "With the Thrills Come Extreme Risks." The New York Times. The New York
Times, 31 Mar. 2014. Web. 23 Nov. 2016.

Glor, Jeff. "Are Extreme Sports Too Dangerous?" CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 18 Jan. 2012.
Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

Isaken, Joachim V. "The Psychology of Extreme Sports: Addicts, Not Loonies." POPULAR
SOCIAL SCIENCE. N.p., 22 May 2013. Web. 23 Nov. 2016.

Sharma, Vinay K., Juan Rango, MD, Alexander J. Connaughton, MD, Daniel J. Lombardo, MD,
and Vani J. Sabesan, MD. "The Current State of Head and Neck Injuries in Extreme Sports."
Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. N.p., 2015. Web. 26 Nov. 2016.

Swink, David F. "Adrenaline Rushes: Can They Help Us Deal with a Real Crisis?" Psychology
Today. N.p., 31 Jan. 2010. Web. 24 Nov. 2016.

"Race Smart." ATOM NHRA Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

"You & Your Hormones." You & Your Hormones | Hormones | Adrenaline. Society for
Endocrinology, 15 Jan. 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

Villines, Zawn. "The Psychology of Risk-Taking." GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog. N.p., 7 May
2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.