Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS)

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

Length of filling

The BSSS takes approximately 3 minutes to complete.

Individualized feedback for the respondent

After completing the questionnaire, the respondent learns how he scores in sensation seeking and whether he is therefore prone to risky behavior.

Keywords

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

Scoring and interpretation

In the BSSS, the total score is obtained by adding up the points for all items, and a higher score refers to a higher degree of sensation seeking in the respondent.

Response scale

Responses are given on a five-point scale marked as “strongly disagree”, “disagree”, “neither agree nor agree”, “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