THE DAY OF THE LEMMINGS- Why jump?

***mknutson***

“THE DAY OF THE LEMMINGS- Why jump?”
By Erik Monasterio

Adventure sports such as mountaineering, kayaking, rock climbing, mountain biking and BASE jumping are increasingly popular. These risk-taking sports court significant dangers and attract individuals who are prepared to gamble their personal safety, and at times their life in search of a rush of excitement or an unusual accomplishment. Paradoxically these sports have increased in popularity at a time when societies have become intensely preoccupied with risk-avoidance and risk-management. In modern societies and particularly in the USA there is an obsession with litigation which often focuses on “personal injury”; ostensibly as a consequence of accidents or malpractice at work, in health care, education or during sporting activity. This enthusiastic pattern of blaming and “suing” others shows no signs of abating. Over time a cascade of compensatory responses to safeguard against liability and mitigate responsibility have followed. It has encroached into all areas of our lives- To such an extent that many physical activities which involve some risk are discouraged, avoided or over regulated. This process has eroded personal responsibility, minimized autonomy and led to a culture of blame, which in my view has gone so far as to threaten the vitality of modern societies.

There is growing scientific evidence that the propensity to take risks is strongly determined by the chemistry of the brain- it is “hard-wired”. Risk-taking genes and exploratory behaviors are likely to have conferred specific advantages in the early evolutionary (hunter and gatherer) stages of human development, and therefore may have become more common through natural selection. Despite the changes in our social environments these primitive instincts continue to exert a strong influence, and the modern civilizations that pride themselves on risk-avoidance and predictability may have become the recruiting ground of adventure sports people. Nature and civilization have come into some conflict, and “extreme” sports may now provide socially acceptable opportunities for the expression of risk-taking instincts.

BASE jumpers thrive in the face of uncertainty; they seem to cherish risk-taking and appear to perform very well under extreme stress. With every jump they seem to mock our safety obsessed society. They are well aware of the risks, as all jumpers have either seen fatal accidents or have known at least one person who has died from the sport.

Is there something particular about the personality of BASE jumpers that drives them to take such risks? And persist with the sport despite, or because of the risks? Do they react differently under intense pressure? Are they actually driven by risk-taking instincts? BASE jumping is obviously dangerous, but just how dangerous?

Omer Mei-Dan (www.extremegate.com) is an experienced BASE jumper, who like many in the sport has had his fair share of serious accidents and has lost many friends. He is also an orthopedic surgeon, who is interested in finding our more about BASE jumping injuries and whether anything can be done to decrease the risks. I am a psychiatrist and a mountaineer (Dr Erik Monasterio - ORKO: About Erik Monasterio), with almost twenty years climbing experience. I have been involved in a number of accidents, have lost friends to the sport and have participated in a number of rescue operations. Over the past two years I have joined forces with Omer; combining our medical disciplines and experience in adventure sports, to advance our scientific understanding on the subject. This year we flew across the world, from different continents to attend the Bridge Day at the New River Gorge, in West Virginia. We were welcomed and supported by the BASE community and we are particularly grateful to Jason Bell who was tireless in helping us out. We are also especially grateful to the many jumpers who volunteered to participate in the study.

Our study is not driven by any financial interests. It is entirely self funded and independent. The aim of the study is to make the sport safer and to understand what motivates BASE jumpers, and whether they react differently (psychologically and physically) in response to stress. Once we have analyzed the findings we intend to disseminate the results widely and make them available to all BASE jumpers.

Last year we completed an initial study of 35 experienced BASE jumpers (tables 1 and 2). We found a high rate and of injury as two-thirds of the participants had suffered at least one BASE jumping accident. We were also able to dtermine that there was one accident for every 254 jumps, or an injury rate of 0.4%.Almost all of those injured required hospital treatment and two-thirds needed more than 3 months to recover or were left with long-term health problems (Table 3). All BASE jumpers estimated that they had had “near-misses” and all of them had friends die from the sport. We also found, unsurprisingly that the personality of BASE jumpers is quite different to that of average people, of the same age and gender. BASE jumpers score higher in the areas of Novelty-Seeking and Self-Directedness and lower on Harm-Avoidance and Self-Transcendence. What this suggests is that BASE jumper’s generally enjoy exploring unfamiliar places and situations. They are easily bored, try to avoid monotony and so tend to be quick-tempered, excitable and impulsive. They enjoy new experiences and seek out thrills and adventures, even if other people think that they are a waste of time. When confronted with uncertainty and risk they also tend to be confident and relaxed. Difficult situations are seen by BASE jumpers as a challenge or an opportunity. They are less responsive to danger and this can lead to foolhardy optimism. The findings also suggest that overall BASE jumpers tend to have good self-esteem and self-reliance and therefore tend to be high-achievers. BASE jumpers however do not easily lend themselves to “transpersonal” identification with things outside of the individual self and this can lead to impatience, pride and a sense of personal unfulfillment. This may lead them to use BASE jumping to seek approval and admiration from others.

These findings are similar to those of other studies, which found that risk-taking sports people score high on the measure of Sensation Seeking (very similar to Novelty-Seeking). What this suggests is that biology and genetics do indeed play at least a moderate role in determining who will take up adventure sports. We know that Harm-Avoidance, Novelty-Seeking and Sensation-Seeking are genetically inherited and determined by the levels of a number of brain neurotransmitters, called monoamines. These monoamines (dopamine and serotonin) are chemicals that pass information between lower and higher brain regions. High Novelty-Seeking and Sensation-Seeking are both associated with low levels of dopamine and involvement in risk-taking activities may help to boost the levels of this brain neurotransmitter. It has also been established that individuals who score high on these measures are at significant risk of developing drug and alcohol addictions and are more frequently involved in criminal activities. High Harm-Avoidance, which confers a propensity to become anxious or scared in the face of risk or uncertainty, is related to levels of Serotonin in the brain. Risk-taking sports people have low levels of Harm-Avoidance and this may explain why they are able to tolerate risk without becoming overwhelmed by fear and anxiety. In fact the low levels of Harm-Avoidance may contribute to a tendency to underestimate danger and therefore may partially account for the high rates of accidents.

The study of BASE jumpers so far has provided interesting and compelling results. Not surprisingly BASE jumping is associated with a significant risk of injury and death. People who choose to take up “extreme-sports” appear to have a biological make-up which is different to that of average people in the community, and these differences in brain chemistry help to explain why they put themselves in perilous situations. Biological correlations however must not be taken too far. In my view extreme sports are rewarding and exhilarating for reasons that go far beyond the explanation of biology. A very significant number of participants in these studies pointed out that their involvement in risk-taking sports were richly rewarding for reasons far more profound than the simple thrill of risk-taking. They are driven by the search for mastery, balance and aesthetics. Others spoke of the special relationship that eventuates from trusting partners in challenging times. Although the risks are not insignificant, risk-taking instincts may well be better off channeled into adventure sports, where experience and training can minimize danger, than to drug addictions and antisocial behaviors.

Table 1. BASE jumper demographics

Age			Gender			Marital status		Number of own children

Med	Range		M	F		Si	Ma/ DF	Med	Range.
34	(21-55)		34	1		19	16	0	(0-5)
Nationality
Europe and Israel		US/ Canada			Oceania
15		14			6

Med=Median; M=Male, F=Female; Si=Single, Ma=Married, DF=De facto.

Table 2. BASE Jumping Characteristics

Years Base Jumping		Total number of BASE jumps		Estimated frequency of “near misses”		Estimated accident frequency		Witnessed others dying from BASE Jumping accidents
Med	Range	Med	Range	Med	Range	Med	Range	Yes	No
4	(0.25-17)	274	(7-1600)	3%	(<1%- 10%)	0.5%	(.01%- 30%)	26	9

Med= Median

Table 3. Accident characteristics of study participants

MILD – N = (10)	MODERATE – N = (17)	SEVERE – N = (12)
Tendon strain/soft tissue injury to ankle x 3 Contusion/soft tissue injury to lumbar spine x 2 Ligament damage to knee x 2 Laceration to arm requiring sutures Contusion/soft tissue injury to lower limb x 2	Fractured Talus, 1^st Metatarsal and ligament tear x 2 Fractured Talus x 2 Multiple contusions/abrasions/soft tissue injury of lower limbs x 2 1^st metacarpal and carpal fracture x 2 Fracture of ankle and tear of Achilles tendon. Fractured tibia and fibula x 2 Fractured radius and ulna- right and left side Dislocation of ankle / soft tissue injury Concussion, Loss of consciousness and sutures to skull Fractured ankle x 2 Soft tissue injury to spine	Fracture of femur Fractured vertebrae (2) Open fracture of tibia and fibula ICU admission with fracture vertebrae (2), compression of vertebrae (4), fractured ribs (5), fractured coccyx and scapula, pneumothorax and hemothorax. Spinal compression with fracture of multiple spinous processes Multiple fractures to tibia/fibula with 180 degree dislocation of ankle. Fracture of elbow, skull, multiple ribs with sprained ankle and pelvis Multiple spinal and rib fractures with fractured tibia/fibula x 2 Spinal fracture with fractured tibia/fibula Fractured L5 vertebra Severe fracture to ankle

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