Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2013:3:2486.
doi: 10.1038/srep02486.

Sex differences in sensation-seeking: a meta-analysis

Catharine P Cross  1 , De-Laine M Cyrenne, Gillian R Brown
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Sex differences in sensation-seeking: a meta-analysis

Catharine P Cross et al. Sci Rep. 2013.

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.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Effect sizes (d) by sample size for Total SSS-V scores.
Solid line = weighted mean effect size; dashed lines = 95% confidence intervals for mean effect size.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Sex differences in sensation-seeking (Cohen's d) by study year for total SSS-V scores.
Bubbles are scaled to inverse study variance.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Sex differences in sensation-seeking (Cohen's d) by study year for: a) TAS, b) Dis, c) BS, and d) ES.
Bubbles are scaled to inverse study variance.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Zuckerman M. Behavioral Expressions and Biosocial Bases of Sensation Seeking. Cambridge University Press (1994).
    1. Arnett J. Sensation seeking: A new conceptualization and a new scale. Pers. Indiv. Diff. 16, 289–296 (1994).
    1. Zuckerman M., Eysenck S. & Eysenck H. J. Sensation seeking in England and America: cross-cultural, age, and sex comparisons. J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 46, 139–149 (1978). - PubMed
    1. Zuckerman M. Sensation Seeking and Risky Behavior. American Psychological Association (2007).
    1. Donohew L. et al. Sensation seeking, impulsive decision-making, and risky sex: implications for risk-taking and design of interventions. Pers. Indiv. Diff. 28, 1079–1091 (2000).

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources