Inside the Mind of an Extreme Sports Enthusiast

Extreme sports. The very expression immediately conjures visions of reckless, heart-stopping, death-defying pursuits. The adherents of these activities have long been regarded with a peculiar mixture of incredulous awe, admiration, and doubts about their collective sanity. Whether or not you consider extreme sports enthusiasts courageous or crazy, you have reasons for your opinion. Likewise, those who participate have their unique reasons for doing so.

Exactly what goes on in the mind of an extreme sports enthusiast has piqued the curiosity of the mental health and psychiatric community for years. The very fact that most people would be terrified of the stunts that these "daredevils" love to engage in on a weekly basis, these experts have said, demonstrates neuroses of various kinds. Although an excellent argument against nonconformity being automatically considered pathological could easily be made, that subject is beyond the scope of this article.

In recent years, researchers have uncovered personality traits commonly held among extreme sports enthusiasts. Their findings show that while far from being insane (at least, in most cases), they are, in fact, "wired" a bit differently than the rest of us.

Adrenaline Rush

Adrenaline, a chemical/hormone that floods our bloodstream in response to stress, fear, or danger is responsible for the increased blood pressure, rapid breathing, perspiration, and faster heart rate that most people associate with terror. The ´rush of adrenaline´ is a human physiological and evolutionary adaptation, we are told, that is the basis of the "fight or flight" impulse that was once necessary for survival.

Researchers say that extreme sports enthusiasts actually crave these sensations and equate them with excitement, not fear. Literally "addicted" to the vast amounts of adrenaline surging through their bodies, the extreme athlete never feels more alive than when staring death in the face. This euphoria is sought again and again. Adrenaline becomes their drug of choice.

Bragging Rights

The occasional mishaps and inevitable close brushes with the Grim Reaper add yet another dimension to the extreme sports experience. After all, what avid participant doesn´t have a collection of stories that begin with, "I shouldn´t even be alive…"? While they are recounting this especially harrowing event, their eyes betray the subtle, though intense glow of pride. The idea that they actually lived to tell of the ordeal makes them feel larger than life.

The Pursuit of Fearlessness

A select cadre of extreme sports enthusiasts believe that fear is a human weakness instead of being a survival mechanism. They actively seek out those things that make them feel uneasy as a way of "conquering" them, and to free themselves from commonly accepted apprehensions. In their opinion, this makes them stronger individuals, and more capable of coping with the everyday stresses that most people struggle with.

Apparent Invincibility

For some, having other people aware of their extreme activities is seen as enhancing their persona. People who may have endured being bullied or abused as children often choose to cultivate a bold, courageous, "bada**" image as a means of intimidating others or to garner respect. Being an extreme sports enthusiast, they reason, provides a layer of protection between them and the potentially hostile world that would otherwise prey upon them.

Perceived Control Over Death

Even extreme sports enthusiasts are aware that death is universal. They also know that their preferred recreation could hasten their demise. Interestingly enough, they would rather die doing an activity of their own choosing than to endure a lengthy, agonizing illness that culminates in their dying after languishing in a hospital bed. In other words, if they must die, they would rather die on their own terms. No one can say for certain under what circumstances he or she will leave this world, but to the extreme sports enthusiast, perceived control over the end is better than none.