Sensation seeking is a temperament associated with willingness to take risks to obtain arousal. We investigated the relationship between the polymorphisms of the COMT Val158Met and BDNF Val66Met and sensation seeking traits. The Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS) and genotyping were performed in 277 Korean healthy volunteers (165 males, 112 females). Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to t...

The interaction of low perceptual stimulation or goal-directed behavior with a negative subjective evaluation may lead to boredom. This contribution to boredom may shed light on its neural correlates, which are poorly characterized so far. A video game served as simulation of free interactive behavior without interruption of the game's narrative. Thirteen male German volunteers played a first-p...

Previous research has shown that in response to a monotonous, boring lab situation, non-clinical participants voluntarily self-administer electric shocks. The shocks probably served to disrupt the tedious monotony: they were the only available external source of stimulation. Alternatively, the shocks might have functioned to regulate the negative emotional experience caused by the induction of ...