Risk-Seeking Behaviors And Mental Health: Understanding The Connection

In some settings, taking a risk might yield meaningful, long-term rewards. However, in other cases, impulsive risks can cause emotional and physical damage to risk-takers and those around them. This article will explore the behavioral science behind risk-taking behaviors and what risky behaviors look like. It also discusses who may be uniquely influenced by messaging about risk-taking, and the factors that often contribute to risk-taking behaviors.

What is risk-taking behavior? Types of risk-taking behaviors in real life

The American Psychological Association (APA) defines risk-taking behaviors in two ways. In one context, risk is defined as “accepting a challenging task that simultaneously involves potential for failure as well as for accomplishment or personal benefit.” Risky, challenging tasks may be associated with creativity, career, or education. Certain risks that may be potentially beneficial might include:

• Asking for a raise
• Trying a new sport
• Meeting new people at a volunteering event
• Running for a local political office
• Returning to school for further education

In contrast, the APA defines certain types of risk-taking as “a pattern of unnecessary activities or behaviors that are dangerous and highly subject to chance.” These behaviors are grouped under a few categories, but they can overlap. 

Health risk behaviors 

Health risk behaviors are those that diminish well-being and place an individual at an increased risk of injury or illness. For example, smoking, drug use, and overindulgence in alcohol. Poor diet, sedentary behaviors, or risky sexual behaviors are also examples of risk behaviors that might affect physical health.  

Financial risk-taking

Risky financial behaviors may stem from poor planning, emotional decision-making, or a lack of financial literacy, often reflecting a low or poorly calibrated risk tolerance, which can lead to debt, bankruptcy, and long-term financial insecurity. Common risk behaviors include overspending, accumulating high-interest debt, failing to create an emergency fund, and failing to save for retirement.

Recreational and sensation-seeking risks

Certain risks, though potentially dangerous, aren’t necessarily indicative of a mental health issue. However, it may be when a fun, voluntary activity becomes a compulsive, uncontrollable, or dangerous habit that causes significant distress or impairs daily functioning. Harmful recreational and sensation-seeking risky behaviors are one example. These are actions driven by a desire for intense, novel, or adrenaline-fueled experiences, often ignoring potential physical, legal, or financial consequences. These behaviors, which frequently peak during adolescence and young adulthood, can become dangerous when they involve high-stakes physical risks or illicit activities. Examples may include bungee jumping, big wave surfing, and other dangerous, thrill-seeking sports.

Safety-related risk-taking

Safety-related risk-taking behaviors involve actions that bypass safety protocols, posing threats and increased risk to health and life. Common examples include reckless driving (speeding, distracted driving), unsafe sexual practices, and ignoring safety equipment like helmets or seatbelts. These might stem from overconfidence, thrill-seeking, or the normalization of unsafe habits. 

Gender differences in risk-taking behaviors

The science of risk-taking and gender is nuanced. However, since risk-taking behaviors, like others, may be complex in nature, some researchers have explored gender differences in risky behavior and discovered some answers.

Older studies suggest that men tend to take more risks when under stress, while women tend to take fewer, due to hormonal differences affecting brain activity, specifically how hormones may influence how we compute risk and prepare for action. However, newer research reveals it might not be as simple as hormonal differences. A team of medical scientists in China has found there may be more “correlation between neuroticism and greater risk-taking behavior under acute stress,” regardless of gender.   

Beyond the brain, there may be a cultural perception that women are risk-averse, but a 2022 study published in Psychology of Women Quarterly found no evidence for gender differences in risk-taking at work when men and women faced the same consequences, which conflicts with past studies that have highlighted men as risk-takers. 

Also, in the past, some research may have focused too much on risky behaviors traditionally associated with men. For example, a man may be more likely to risk riding a motorcycle without a helmet. However, women may be more willing than men to engage in other high-risk behaviors, such as horseback riding.

Ultimately, your comfort level with risk may depend on your genes, your upbringing, and your unique psychology, including certain personality traits. Researchers are still studying the varying influence of these factors on risk-taking behaviors.

Why some men and boys may be more likely to take risks

While not every man is a natural risk-taker, there’s often a cultural perception—shaped by social psychology and social influence—that men, especially at a young age, are more likely to make risky decisions. These tendencies are not typically limited to individual traits but are also shaped by environmental factors, including cultural expectations, peer norms, and societal messaging about masculinity and risk-taking.

Development and adolescent risk-taking

Young male syndrome (YMS) is widely recognized by psychologists and defined by the APA as “the propensity of males in their mid to late teens and twenties, and particularly those who are unmarried and unemployed, to engage in violent altercations to resolve seemingly trivial matters, to ‘save face,’ to harm a rival, or otherwise to enhance their social status.”

Researchers are still exploring the causes and prevalence of YMS. Current evidence suggests it may stem from the evolutionary desire that men might have to display bravery and fitness at an age when intrasexual competition, the desire to mate, is most intense. This may lead to risky behavior at a young age, such as physical fights and other actions that have adverse outcomes.  

Results were consistent with the predictions of parental investment theory, while also reflecting key principles of social psychology and the influence of one’s environment on behavior. Females did not change their levels of risk-taking when paired with adult males or females, but showed a strong reduction in risk when paired with babies. Consistent with previous research, males showed an increased risk when paired with another male of the same age, but males showed no change in risk-taking when paired with a female of the same age or a child. The current work provides the first experimental evidence of gender differences in cooperative social risk-taking, as well as the first experimental evidence of a mediator of female risk-taking, i.e., babies.

Social influence and environmental drivers

In 2019, experts in social psychology found that children’s early surroundings can also shape risk-taking behaviors. The researchers studied children from two ethnic groups in Yunnan, China, with nearly opposite gender norms: one group, the Mosuo, is matrilineal, and the other, the Han, is patriarchal.

The researchers found that Han girls were initially more risk-averse than girls from the Mosuo group. Nonetheless, when children from both groups entered the same school, which was majority Han, Mosuo children adopted the risk preferences of the majority: a greater risk aversion among girls and more risk-taking among boys. While more studies on this topic are needed, this research suggests that the environment can influence risk-taking behaviors.

Possible neural differences in risky behaviors

A 2021 study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience found that sex differences in risk-taking may be associated with reward sensitivity. This may allow scientists to examine risk beyond observable environmental differences.

The researchers stated that participants who identified as male may have been more sensitive to rewards than participants who identified as female. This study suggests that this difference may be related to variability in the strength of theta brainwaves, which may influence sensitivity to reward and the likelihood of taking risks.

Risk and variations in coping styles

Sometimes, people may engage in risky behaviors to cope with negative life experiences. 

Prospect theory: When we think potential reward can outweigh risks

Prospect theory states that people make decisions based on perceived gains or losses relative to a reference point, rather than absolute outcomes. According to prospect theory, humans have a behavioral tendency to be “loss-averse,” and may feel the pain of losses more than the pleasure of equivalent gains, which may lead to decreased risk tolerance and, in some cases, more irrational risk-averse behavior. 

Managing urges to help reduce anxiety and cultivate well-being

Managing impulsive risk-taking and anxiety often involves building awareness, creating pauses between urges and actions, and utilizing therapeutic tools. Effective techniques often include practicing mindfulness (sometimes called "urge surfing"), setting delays before acting, identifying causes, and using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques to challenge impulsive thoughts. In some cases, avoiding social influence to engage in risky behaviors may also help. 

How to tell if risk-taking is becoming harmful

While in some cases, risk-taking can be a positive thing, it can be harmful in others. It isn’t always easy to identify whether an individual’s risk-taking behavior is maladaptive. Below are some factors to consider. 

• Context and function

While healthy risk-taking typically occurs in controlled environments, such as in sports, learning new skills, or adventures, problematic risk-taking often occurs in dangerous or inappropriate contexts, such as reckless driving, substance misuse, impulsive sexual behavior, or aggression or criminal activity. 

• Consequences

Consider whether the behavior is causing significant harm to self or others. Persistent negative consequences without attempts to stop may indicate an underlying issue in situations of physical injury, legal trouble, financial loss, and relationship problems.

• Underlying motivation

Normal risk-taking can be curiosity, thrill-seeking, or learning. However, motivations tied to impulsivity, poor judgment, emotional dysregulation, or self-harm might suggest risk-taking behaviors as a way to cope with mental health issues like anxiety, depression, or trauma.

• Co-occurring symptoms

Sometimes, risk-taking can be one of several symptoms of a mental condition. For example, mood changes such as depression, irritability, or elation. Additionally, some may experience anxiety or panic, social withdrawal, or conflict. 

• Duration and Pattern

Short-term experimentation may be normal. However, when risk-taking is long-term, consistent, or worsening, it may be a sign of a more serious mental health issue.

Behavioral assessment from a mental health professional might be beneficial for helping individuals determine whether their behavior is indicative of a more severe condition, such as mental illness. 

Seeking professional support 

If you have questions or concerns related to sensation-seeking or risk-seeking behaviors, you may benefit from speaking with a licensed therapist. A therapist may be able to provide a behavioral assessment and help with exploring limits and developing strength and self-awareness to move toward healthy risk-taking and overall well-being. There are several ways you may find a therapist, including recommendations from a general practitioner, your insurance provider, or through online therapy platforms. 

Discuss risk-seeking behaviors in online therapy

If you feel hesitant to sign up for traditional in-office therapy, you might consider trying online therapy, which numerous studies have demonstrated to be effective. One such study was published in BioMed Central in 2025. In the study, researchers found that individuals participating in internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy experenced many of the same benefits as people attending in-person therapy (eCBT), although it was “particularly appreciated by clients comfortable with digital environments,” which highlights that many young people experiencing certain behavioral patters, such as risk-taking, might find online therapy particularly beneficial, as they may feel more comfortable using technology. In the same study, clients also reported feeling as if eCBT gave them more autonomy and involvement in their mental health care to reduce anxiety and cultivate wellness.

Through an online therapy platform like BetterHelp, you can meet with a therapist from the comfort of home via audio, video, or live chat. Many of the mental health care providers at BetterHelp have years of experience guiding patients through significant life decisions and transitions, giving them the tools and encouragement to take thoughtful, strategic risks.

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