Abstract
This book is about a trait describing variations in the universal need for novel and intense stimulation and its expressions in various risky kinds of behavior (including driving habits, health, gambling, financial risk, alcohol and drug use and abuse, sexual behavior, and sports). Sensation seeking is also important in preferences for various vocations, media forms and content, food, humor and social attitudes. Compatability in the trait influences premarital and marital relationship satisfaction. Its modes of assessment, behavioral expressions, and genetic and psychobiological bases are described.