[yesco]

Something to keep in mind is that adrenaline is something used in medication to treat ADHD in some cases. The desire for some to go out and do things like this (ie: Base Jumping) could be sourced to them craving that adrenaline that helps them focus. Maybe they are taking the wrong type of medication or maybe they aren't taking any at all.

Additionally I found this part very frustrating

>>Panksepp points out that while common stimulant medications for ADHD like Ritalin and Adderall may improve attention skills and academic performance in many kids, they do so at the cost of reducing the playfulness urge—at least temporarily. “We know these are anti-play drugs in animals,” he says. “That is clear and unambiguous.”

This is strongly anecdotal but as someone who takes Adderall, I can't say this could be any further from the truth. The only thing that I can come up with that could lead to this thinking is that younger kids who have trouble with their hyperactivity might not be as hyper anymore after taking medication (which was the whole point in the first place for some). All this is doing is encouraging more adrenaline junkies to treat themselves outside of conventional means.

[SpaceCadetJones]

I can actually attest to being less playful on medication. I'm a very upbeat, humorous, and witty person. Too much of a stimulant however makes me very bland, an intense listener, and I have trouble coming up with replies to people. I tend to think of it as generally I have a firehose of ideas and thoughts spewing, and medication pinches the hose and directs its flow. It's a balancing act though

[reitanqild]

I believe you. That said it seems to vary wildly.

From what I have witnessed it even varies with type of the same stimulant from person to person, even within a family. (In a case I know all too well the recipient get tongue swelling as well as clenched jaws[0] on R XR at 40mg/day but has absolutely no issues with doses from 40 - 80 mg/day of the standard one. Oh, and the other person in this study, the brother of the first, went into spiraling weight loss at 60mg/day but prefer XR.)

Also playfulness seems to be preserved in these two cases. The best explanation I can come up with is: lowers the "interesting" threshold so that driving according to the speed limits is less intensely boring etc.

[0]: of course this can be reactions to additives of XR but they are commonly referred to as side effects of R itself.

[antihero]

I found this with Ritalin as a kid, and amphetamines/various analogues as an adult. It makes me so focussed I get colossal social anxiety and my brain loops over everything. It's horrendous, and kinda stunted my social development.