No Risk No Fun?: Determinants of Satisfaction with Life in People Who Engage in Extreme and High-Risk Sports

(1) Background: In this paper, we attempt to identify which personality and motivational variables significantly influence the sense of quality of life of individuals who practice extreme sports (ES) and high-risk sports (HRS). In addition, we examined to what extent these relationships are moderated by the athletes' gender and experience in a given discipline. (2) Methods: A total of 363 individuals who practice ES or who practice HRS took part in the study. All of the participants were from Poland. Standardized questionnaires were used to measure the investigated personality traits (extraversion, neuroticism, psychoticism), motives, and satisfaction with life, characteristic of the practiced sports. (3) Results: A positive relationship was observed between levels of extroversion and sense of satisfaction with life in the groups of women who engage in HRS (p = 0.045) and men who engage in ES (p = 0.002). The tendency towards addiction was significantly negatively associated with sense of satisfaction with life only in men who engage in ES (p = 0.015). Individuals who engage in ES and HRS did not differ in levels of tendency towards addiction. (4) Conclusions: Individuals who practice ES differ from individuals who practice HRS in terms of personality features, motivations, and the determinants of their sense of satisfaction with life.

Automated summary

This study aims to investigate the influence of personality and motivational variables on the sense of quality of life in individuals practicing extreme sports and high-risk sports, and to explore how these relationships are moderated by gender and experience. The results show a positive relationship between extroversion and life satisfaction, as well as a negative relationship between tendency towards addiction and life satisfaction. There is no difference in levels of addiction tendency between individuals practicing extreme sports and high-risk sports.