https://brainasap.com/adrenaline-addiction-rock-climbers-thrill-seeking-behavior/
I’m all for letting people have the hobbies they want, but adrenaline junkies are literally wired differently. Kind of weird that they get put on a pedestal for being the “right” kind of neurodivergent.
I don’t think any of the climbers I know would call it an adrenaline sport. It’s slow, considered, thoughtful. It certainly gets a high sometimes, pun intended, but it’s much more akin to a runners high or the elation of finishing a difficult task well.
As a pretty serious rock climber, I would say it definitely is an adrenaline sport. But the adrenaline is just part of it. You also get the sort of runners high from sustained exercise, and another sort of high of “holy shit, I can’t believe I just pulled it off” from dealing with challenges in real time and finding solutions.
In comparison, I tried sky diving once and found it, in a weird way, boring. Sure, you get an adrenaline rush - but there is no real physical or mental challenge. You just jump, deploy the chute, and land. When we landed, my heart was definitely pounding, but in a strangely unsatisfying way. I didn’t feel like I had really pushed myself or accomplished anything - I was just up there, and now I’m down here. Big whoop.
Halfway through reading this I realized I’m addicted to mountain biking lmao
