The link between sensation seeking and aggression: a meta-analytic review

Abstract

Substantial empirical evidence supports low resting heart rate (HR) as the best replicated psychophysiological correlate of aggression [Ortiz and Raine, 2004]; however, researchers continue to debate the explanatory mechanisms of the phenomenon. Sensation seeking has been proposed as a possible outcome of low resting HR that may lead to aggressive tendencies but findings have been inconsistent in terms of showing a relationship between sensation seeking and aggression. A meta-analysis was conducted on 43 independent effect sizes, from studies with a total of 32,217 participants, to test the hypothesis that sensation seeking would be positively related to aggression across studies. A significant overall effect size was found (d = .1935, P<.001), supporting the hypothesis. Moderator analyses revealed that the relationship differed based on participant and methodological characteristics, such as participant age and the nature of the aggression measurement; however, these conclusions are limited by the uneven number of studies in many of the moderator classes. Overall, the findings provide support for higher levels of aggression in high sensation seekers and have theoretical implications for arousal theory. Further research on the links between arousal, sensation seeking and aggression can inform clinicians about potential interventions.

Premeditation moderates the relation between sensation seeking and risky substance use among young adults.

“…Although relations between aggressive behavior and poor impulse control and sensation seeking have been reported previously (Monahan et al, 2009;Wilson & Scarpa, 2011), we did not observe a synergistic interaction between these traits. There may be two reasons why we did not observe this result.…”

Aggressive behavior: an alternative model of resting heart rate and sensation seeking

“…The participants had to be an undergraduate or graduate student because Wilson and Scarpa (2011) found that the effect size representing the relationship between sensation seeking and aggression tends to be of greater magnitude in young adult populations and therefore the proposed study used college students as participants in an attempt to increase statistical power.…”

“…The relationships between resting HR and aggression (e.g., Lorber, 2004;Ortiz & Raine, 2004), and sensation seeking and aggression (e.g., Wilson & Scarpa, 2011) have been well established. For example, a recent meta-analysis found that sensation seeking and aggression are significantly positively related, albeit with a small effect size (d ¼ .19, Wilson & Scarpa, 2011). Furthermore, a few previous studies have found that baseline HR and sensation seeking are significantly inversely related (e.g., De Pascalis, Valerio, Santoro, & Cacace, 2007).…”

Impulsivity, sensation seeking and reproductive behaviour: A life history perspective

“…Like LH behaviours discussed earlier, many "impulsivity" traits also show consistent sex differences. Sensation seeking (Cross, et al, 2011;Wilson & Scarpa, 2010), dysfunctional impulsivity (Cross et al, 2011) and risk taking measures (Byrnes, Miller & Schafer, 1999) indicate that men engage in more thrill seeking activities and take more risks than women. This suggests that sex differences in LH tempo may therefore be associated with sex differences in "impulsivity" traits.…”