What Happens When People Do Extreme Sports
People love extreme sports for the sensations that these activities give. They give a person a sense of risk, the degree of which he, in his opinion, can control. Psychologically, this gives the illusion of control over events in life. The person begins to feel omnipotent. This logically increases his self-esteem and makes him self-confident.
From the point of view of physiology, during such activities in the body of an extreme or extreme sportsman, certain hormones are released:
- The stress hormones adrenaline, cortisol, and norepinephrine are released first. They are responsible for the tickling nerves feeling of fear.
- When the body realizes that the danger has passed, dopamine and oxytocin are produced. They give a feeling of euphoria and triumph.
It used to be that love for extreme sports comes down to addiction to adrenaline. Modern psychology suggests that it is chemically related precisely to dopamine and oxytocin – they give us pleasant sensations. But in many ways, boys and girls become addicted to constant risk and extreme sports due to psychological reasons.
Why does a person choose an extreme lifestyle
People with a certain temperament and a certain life experience are fond of extreme sports. At the same time, their motivation may be completely different. Who is more prone to risk and dangerous behavior?
Some go into extreme sports because they are no longer interested in standard sports. In this case, a person chooses active sports – snowboarding, snorkeling, paragliding and so on.
When extreme love becomes dangerous
If a person knows how to assess risks, does everything possible to secure and does not violate safety rules, then love for extreme sports does not bring any problems and difficulties. However, in some cases, passion develops into a real addiction, which can be determined by the following signs:
- abandoning other interests and leisure options in favor of extreme sports;
- quarrels with relatives about extreme hobbies;
- constant increase in the complexity of tricks;
- complete waiver of insurance;
- failure to comply with safety regulations;
- frequent injuries.
Extreme people are often unaware of their problems. They think they have everything under control. They are confident that they can assess the degree of risk, and insurance and safety measures were invented by cowards.
Because of this confidence, they take more and more risks, and even serious injuries do not stop them. As with other addictions, it only gets worse over time.
In extreme cases, a person can completely break off relationships with loved ones who, in his opinion, prevent him from doing what he loves.
The feeling of danger is becoming more and more dull, and in order to receive the necessary hormonal dose, more and more dangerous actions must be performed. Such irresponsibility can eventually lead to death.
Why it’s hard to deal with addiction
To deal with an addiction, you must first acknowledge its presence. Like many other people with them, extreme sports enthusiasts do not understand that they are harming themselves and do not believe that their hobby can lead to sad consequences. Risky behavior is becoming the norm and way of life. I like not only the sport itself, but also everything that surrounds it.
This environment includes lifestyle, social environment, clothing style, preferences, and much more. And many are not ready to give it up. Such a refusal means that you need to look for a new social environment and learn to live in a new way. When you live a certain way for a long time, it is very difficult to change the established habits.
You also need to understand that the human brain is used to thrills. Sooner or later, he comes to the point that he cannot enjoy ordinary life. It’s like with spicy food: if you eat dishes with spices for a long time, food without it becomes insipid and tasteless.
Why does a person choose to experience danger?
When a person defines something as dangerous, this is, in his opinion, a certain limit of his capabilities. This is a challenge that motivates you to explore your own boundaries, opportunities, which can be followed by development and new achievements. In some cases, the experience of danger helps to overcome fears and complexes.
Today the pace of life is accelerating. And, as a rule, people cannot set aside a significant time period for rest, during which they would be able to relieve fatigue and gain energy.
The alternative is a short vacation with strong emotions and a lot of impressions. Extreme activities perfectly satisfy this request. This is stress with all the ensuing biochemical reactions in the body.
Such a hormonal surge, when dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin are released into the blood after an adrenaline-cortisol cocktail, allows you to change the physiological state of the body in a short time, after which there is a “reset” of negative experiences, fatigue, aggression, followed by relaxation.