Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS)

The Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS) was created by adapting and shortening the number of items of the Sensation Seeking Scale-V (SSS-V). It contains 8 short statements to which the respondent expresses his/her level of agreement. The BSSS maintains the four dimensions of the SSS-V: Experience seeking, Boredom susceptibility, Thrill and adventure seeking, and Disinhibition. Sensation seeking is a predictor of a wide range of problem behaviors. Individuals with high levels of sensation seeking tend to engage in risky activities such as risky sexual behaviour, reckless driving, smoking, alcohol and illicit drug use.

Length of completion

The BSSS takes approximately 3 minutes to complete.

Individualized feedback to the respondent

After completing the questionnaire, the respondent will learn how they score on sensation seeking and therefore if they are prone to risky behaviors.

Keywords

Brief Sensation Seeking Scale, BSSS, SSS-V, sensation seeking, risky behavior, experience seeking, arousal

Scoring and interpretation

In the BSSS, the total score is obtained by summing the scores for all items, and a higher score refers to a higher level of sensation seeking in the respondent.

Response Scale

Responses are presented on a five-point scale labeled “strongly disagree,” “disagree,” “neither agree nor disagree,” “agree,” and “strongly agree.”

References

Hoyle, R., Stephenson, M., Palmgreen, P., Pugzles Lorch, E., & Donohew, L. (2002). Reliability and validity of a brief measure of sensation seeking. Personality and Individual Differences, 32(3), 401-414. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(01)00032-0

Merino-Soto, C., Salas-Blas, E., Pérez-Amezcua, B., García-Rivas, J., Peña, G., & Toledano-Toledano, F. (2022). Brief Sensations Seeking Scale (BSSS): Validity Evidence in Mexican Adolescents. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 19(13). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137978

Zuckerman, M., Kolin, E. A., Price, L., & Zoob, I. (1964). Development of a sensation-seeking scale. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 28(6), 477–482. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0040995