Sensation seekers, risk behavior — and emotionally unavailable? What do we know about the personality traits and behavioral tendencies of mountaineers? A review of 69 studies spanning 54 years explores the psychological aspects of mountaineering.
For over 50 years, researchers have explored the psychological traits of mountaineers – from risk-taking and resilience to group dynamics and decision-making under pressure. Given the extreme conditions of (highaltitude) climbing, understanding the mental side of mountaineering is not just fascinating but potentially life-saving.
A recent systematic review (2020) brings clarity to this field, analyzing 69 studies published over five decades. The review offers a comprehensive overview of what psychology can tell us about those who venture to the world’s highest peak — and where future research is still needed.
The aim of this systematic review was to bring together and evaluate existing research on the psychology of mountaineering. Psychologist Dr. Patricia C. Jackman and her team set out to examine qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies to understand what psychological traits, behaviors, and experiences are common among climbers.
Sensation seeker and risk-taking? What do we know about personality traits and behavior? Credit: Giacomo Berardi/Unsplash
The key question: What can published research tell us about the psychological side of mountaineering? To answer this, the authors used an inductive, theme-based approach to synthesize existing findings and build a clearer picture of how mountaineers think, feel, and act – both on and off the mountain.
Method
This review followed a systematic approach, combining qualitative and quantitative studies using a mixed methods synthesis design. The authors adhered to established guidelines to ensure transparency and rigor, including PRISMA (for systematic reviews), SWiM (for synthesis without meta-analysis), and ENTREQ (for qualitative research reporting). This allowed them to integrate diverse types of evidence into one coherent overview of the psychological literature on mountaineering.
Results: Sensation-Seeking and Risk-Taking
This first comprehensive review of psychological research in mountaineering reveals that climbers generally show higher levels of sensation-seeking than non-climbers or those in low-risk sports. While this might suggest a greater tendency for risk-taking, the findings are more nuanced. Experienced mountaineers, in particular, emphasized minimizing risks and making careful decisions — highlighting that sensation-seeking does not necessarily lead to reckless behavior. In contrast, less experienced or mentally less resilient climbers were more likely to take unnecessary risks.
Sensation-seeking does not always lead to reckless behavior
Less experience, more risky behavior? Credit: Joseph Andrews // Unsplah
Self-awareness is a key feature for safety
The review also offers new insights into how climbers make critical decisions in high-risk environments. It reveals that decision-making is shaped by a complex mix of emotions, self-awareness, cognitive strategies, and regulation. Importantly, elite climbers often rely on metacognitive processes—a kind of mental “overthinking” or reflection about their own thinking—when deciding whether to continue or abandon a summit attempt. For example, many described an inner „feeling of knowing“ that led them to turn back for safety.
These findings suggest that metacognition — being aware of and regulating one’s own thought processes — is key not only to making safer decisions but also to developing expertise in the sport. Supporting climbers in building this kind of self-awareness through training or guided reflection could significantly enhance both performance and safety on the mountain.
Emotional Regulation in High-Stakes Situations: We tend to suppress our emotions
The review also highlights the crucial role of emotion regulation (ER) in mountaineering, especially during crises. One widely reported strategy was emotional suppression—deliberately holding back or hiding emotions to stay focused. While this is usually discouraged in sports psychology, mountaineers often suppress emotions to maintain team harmony during long, high-stress expeditions, or to stay composed in life-threatening situations like rescue operations.
Men are more likely to suppress the emotions
The gender imbalance in the sample — over 80% male — may partly explain the prevalence of suppression, as men are generally more likely to use this strategy. However, while suppression can be effective in the short term, it also carries psychological risks if overused. The review therefore recommends that climbers diversify their emotion regulation strategies and seek psychological support when needed, especially after traumatic events.
Cognitive challenges in high altitude
Functioning under reduced oxygen levels is a defining feature of mountaineering, particularly at very high or extreme altitudes. The review found consistent evidence that such conditions can impair neurocognitive functioning (NF)—leading to slowed thinking, poor coordination, and decision-making difficulties. These impairments, which are often seen in climbers who have died on expeditions, underscore the serious risks associated with hypoxia. As a result, the review stresses the importance of monitoring mental performance at altitude and taking proactive steps to reduce the effects of oxygen deprivation on cognitive function.
Conclusion
This review offers new insights into the psychology of mountaineering by summarising over 50 years of research. It highlights key personality traits like sensation-seeking, emotional regulation strategies, and decision-making under extreme conditions. The findings suggest ways to improve safety and performance in the mountains.
Patricia C. Jackman , Rebecca M. Hawkins , Shaunna M. Burke , Christian Swann & Lee Crust: The psychology of mountaineering: a systematic review. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 16/1, 2023, 1-39 DOI: 10.1080/1750984X.2020.1824242
