Sex differences in sensation-seeking: a meta-analysis

Catharine P Cross,De-Laine M Cyrenne,Gillian R Brown

doi:10.1038/srep02486

Catharine P Cross, De-Laine M Cyrenne + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/srep02486

Copy DOI

Abstract

Men score higher than women on measures of sensation-seeking, defined as a willingness to engage in novel or intense activities. This sex difference has been explained in terms of evolved psychological mechanisms or culturally transmitted social norms. We investigated whether sex differences in sensation-seeking have changed over recent years by conducting a meta-analysis of studies using Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale, version V (SSS-V). We found that sex differences in total SSS-V scores have remained stable across years, as have sex differences in Disinhibition and Boredom Susceptibility. In contrast, the sex difference in Thrill and Adventure Seeking has declined, possibly due to changes in social norms or out-dated questions on this sub-scale. Our results support the view that men and women differ in their propensity to report sensation-seeking characteristics, while behavioural manifestations of sensation-seeking vary over time. Sex differences in sensation-seeking could reflect genetically influenced predispositions interacting with socially transmitted information.

Highlights

Men score higher than women on measures of sensation-seeking, defined as a willingness to engage in novel or intense activities
We investigated whether sex differences in sensation-seeking have changed over recent years by conducting a meta-analysis of studies using Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking Scale, version V (SSS-V)
The sex difference in Thrill and Adventure Seeking (TAS) scores has diminished significantly over the years of study, due to a decrease in men’s scores. These findings support the view that males and females differ in their average propensity to report sensation-seeking characteristics, while interest in specific sensationseeking activities may vary according to changing circumstances

Summary

Introduction

Men score higher than women on measures of sensation-seeking, defined as a willingness to engage in novel or intense activities. Studies conducted in the USA, Europe, Australia and China have all reported higher average scores in men than women on three of the four sensation-seeking subscales, namely Thrill and Adventure Seeking (TAS; interest in physically challenging activities), Disinhibition (Dis; favourable attitudes to uninhibited social interactions), and Boredom Susceptibility (BS; dislike for repetition and predictability), while not differing on Experience Seeking (ES; interest in low-risk, novel experiences)[6,7]. Higher levels of parental investment in offspring have been argued to favour more risk-averse strategies in females than in males[12] Such evolutionary hypotheses are consistent with evidence that physiological sex differences are linked to sensation-seeking; for example, testosterone levels have been reported to correlate positively with sensation-seeking scores in some studies[13], not in others[14]. Interpretation of these year-of-publication effects is often made difficult by the lack of a common metric www.nature.com/scientificreports across studies, which means that the year of publication is confounded with changes in measurement instrument[19]

Methods

Results

Conclusion