Emotionally, Physically, Psychologically impacted

How have rides affected your life? Do you commit your life to thrill rides? Do rides relieve stress and help cope with other life issues or problems? Do rides impact the way we approach and go about each day? Do we scientifically ride roller coasters because of sensations or are we drawn to them for there sheer size and magnitude? Is there some sort of scientific connection between riding rides at death testing hights and being physically addicted to it or just the simple fact of getting expierences from them we can't get from anything else? I would like to read some responses from CB members on what, why and how roller coasters emotionally, physically and psychologically impact our lifes.

KEEP ON ROCKIN IN THE ROLLER WORLD!

Big time stress release for me. As for the physiology behind the enjoyment of a coaster, its really simple. Human beings most simple pleasure is deriving it from our sensory organs (which is why we enjoy good music, good smells, food, etc.) The vestibular organs, located in your inner ear right next and connected to your coclea (the thing we process sound with) is the main source of our propreception, or the ablity to sense where we are in space. When we experience rapid changes in G forces and direction these puppys fire off a whole lot of signals to our brain, which we (the enthusiast) interpt as pleasure.

This is further enhanced by the disconnect between what our eyes are telling us and what the vestibular system is telling, aka Vertigo, we for some reason interpt this disconnect as pleasure where as others interpt it as an onset of poison which kicks in the reflex to vomit.

I like 'em. :)

Past that, I don't really know why. I've enjoyed them for years, but didn't actually, until 2001, start keeping count. It was more or less to fit in with the rest of the cognoscenti. I just like the thrill they give.

Moreso than ever, though, I prefer the full-on experience. That's including friends, as it were.

Think about it. If you go to a movie, it's not much fun by yourself. You don't have anyone to share it with, or afterwards. Not much fun. On the other hand, if you go, and you don't enjoy it, you still have a shared experience that you can talk about, or even mock. It's the same with coasters.

It's a passion, but it's not my only passion/hobby.

Drums. Models. Girls. Movies. Not necessarily in that order. By models, I mean those auto/tank/ship/plane kits. I actually haven't done them since I was a teen, over 20 years ago, but I still count them as a passion. If I had the space, I'd probably dig that part of my past up.

I just like to ride em 'cause they're FUN!!! :)

I like going on rides with people who haven't been on them before. When in the line waiting, I tell them how fun the ride is, and what is in store.

Then once we're on, I scare them; like saying, these restraints feel a little loose, or, they still haven't found that kid from last month.

I also like to go on rides that will scare me; whenever a new coaster comes out like TTD, it's always a stomach turning thrill waiting in line to ride the unknown.

The first coaster I ever rode was Batman and SFGAm. I was so scared I almost passed out. I think that psychologically impacted me.

Roller coasters have changed my life forever in such a positive way. I used to be afraid of roller coasters. Since I really have never been far out of Cedar Point, I used to think all the rides were big and scary. You'd be hard pressed to get me on even Cedar Creek Mine Ride or Iron Dragon.

It wasn't until my cousins forced me on Magnum that I started to enjoy coasters. Sure, the ride on Magnum was frightening, but it opened the doorway to Raptor and the rest is history.

There is something about the first drop of a coaster that gets to me every time. It's no longer fear, instead it's a release. No matter what hill it is, no matter how tall or steep, it is single-handedly the most incredible rush I've experianced thus far in life. For a split second, it is a free fall like no other. I don't know about you, but for those few seconds nothing else in the world matters.

nasai, you're the exact opposite of me. Sure, friends to share the memories of the entire experiance is wonderful, but so is making your own experiance. I've now finally done a park by myself, and I gotta say, it's great. Not only do you meet awesome people in line, but you realize that you connect with everyone else that rides coasters. I know, not a very good explanation, but I'm no good with words tonight.

Now it seems like I'm always looking for something bigger, faster, or more unique than anything I've ridden before. Why do I ride coasters? It's all for the pursuit of the thrill, one that'll stay with me for a long time to come.

-nesdude

It has impacted my life in the fact that I don't really go on vacation anymore... I go on coaster trips. I can't see the point in going somewhere and sitting around for 4 days when I could go to an amusement park somewhere.

Cedar Point gets the nod more often than not.

Rollercoasters have impacted my life in a positive way I think. I'd much rather go to an amusement park than on a cruise of something. Whenever we travel it has to involve an amusement park of some sort. To me, that is a vacation. Aside from going skiing during the winter, theme parks rock.

Aside from my passion for the amusement park atmosphere, I am an extreme adrenaline addict. I absolutely have to ride coasters every so often or I have problems. Sure, I ride because it's fun, but I need the rush in order to function and to reduce stress.

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Touchdown said:
Big time stress release for me. As for the physiology behind the enjoyment of a coaster, its really simple. Human beings most simple pleasure is deriving it from our sensory organs (which is why we enjoy good music, good smells, food, etc.) The vestibular organs, located in your inner ear right next and connected to your coclea (the thing we process sound with) is the main source of our propreception, or the ablity to sense where we are in space. When we experience rapid changes in G forces and direction these puppys fire off a whole lot of signals to our brain, which we (the enthusiast) interpt as pleasure.

This is further enhanced by the disconnect between what our eyes are telling us and what the vestibular system is telling, aka Vertigo, we for some reason interpt this disconnect as pleasure where as others interpt it as an onset of poison which kicks in the reflex to vomit.

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Hmmm. The cochlea is what sound is processed with and the vestibular system is what balance is processed with, but it's hardly as simple as you suggest. In addition to the many different facets of those systems and the complexity that arises from their integration, there are several other components that add even more complexity, such as stretch receptors in joints. The sense of knowing one's orientation in space is called proprioception.

I would hardly call a disparity between the information from our visual system and vestibular system "vertigo." It is what it is -- a disparity. Because of this, our bodies feel stress and the sympathetic nervous system increases its activity, increasing active levels of acetylcholine and (nor)epinephrine. This is, of course, an extremely elementary answer, but should point you more in the right direction. I think anyone who describes any part of human physiology as simple needs to sit in on a few med school lectures.

I like the way coasters lead me to a place where there is nothing but the pure experience, no hesitations, no doubts, no time for regrets.
It's a place where for a moment, nothing matters, where I am completely one with myself - and there is just one thing, IT.

From a good coaster, I exit re-charged and energized like a battery, euphoric and completely awake, in love and at peace with the world.

I know it's insane, and I sometimes wonder if that's sick, but it's a little like comitting suicide and being re-born, like a head-on-collision with what reality really is.
It takes me away and wakes me up.

Personally, I don't really like the "terrorize-me" aspect of coasters, I like them more if they are dream-paths through the world of physical dynamics, where height becomes speed and curvature becomes gravity - or weightlessness and I can feel it all.

Thinking about a good coaster really gets a smile on my face.

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lettuce said:

Hmmm. The cochlea is what sound is processed with and the vestibular system is what balance is processed with, but it's hardly as simple as you suggest. In addition to the many different facets of those systems and the complexity that arises from their integration, there are several other components that add even more complexity, such as stretch receptors in joints. The sense of knowing one's orientation in space is called proprioception.

I would hardly call a disparity between the information from our visual system and vestibular system "vertigo." It is what it is -- a disparity. Because of this, our bodies feel stress and the sympathetic nervous system increases its activity, increasing active levels of acetylcholine and (nor)epinephrine. This is, of course, an extremely elementary answer, but should point you more in the right direction. I think anyone who describes any part of human physiology as simple needs to sit in on a few med school lectures.

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I have sat through med school lecture ;). I was trying to present the "discovery channel" shortening/simplfication of the system. I know its more complicated :).

Hmmm, I guess I have always been an adrenaline junkie. Anything that involves extreme height, speed, and some type of danger turns me on, anything from rollerblading to flying in a F-16 (although I haven't done the latter yet.)

I LOVE height, and I am dying to try skydiving, BASE jumping, parasailing, and bunjee jumping eventually. I have NO fear. I was watching something on the Blue Angels the other day and was thinking "Damn I want to ride in one of those!"

I had the pleasure of seeing the BASE jumpers during Bridge Day here in WV last October. I was totally into it. Talk about people with zero fear of heights!

Then of course I laugh whenever I feel severe turbulance when I am flying while other people are freaking out. I LOVE watching snowboarders and extreme sports. I DEMAND to "pull the cord" on skycoasters. I could spend a lifetime on top of the Stratosphere Tower. I used to create ramps so I could "fly" on my bicycle in my backyard as a kid. I lust all the Intamin drop towers. I love driving fast and try to get "airtime" over small hills. I get off on height and speed.

As far as coasters, I have always loved them ever since I was 7 or 8 years old but didn't start travelling or become an *enthusiast* until around 1997 or 1998. I go to parks for a variety of reasons. Nowadays it's a mixture of hanging out with friends, exploring new places, and just experiencing the overall atmosphere of a park. It's an escape. A natural high.

I always feel like a kid in a park.....ANY park.

I do admit there were a few coasters/rides in the past that impacted me emotionally the first time I rode them....The Beast (when I was 10,) Dragster (it STILL gets me off!) Thunderhead, X-Scream, and most recently Voyage.

I could go on. :-)

-Tina

*** Edited 6/10/2006 5:26:09 AM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

This reminds me of a conversation that happened between 2Hostyl, Barry Williams, and myself in Arlington, TX in a hotel room. Barry broke it down for us like a professor, and we the pupils gave input as well. Here's what makes some people enthusiasts and what they may get out of it:

1) The engineering type–they love to look at how it was put together and what makes it tick
2) The artistic type–they love to look at the flowing curves and architecture of the ride
3) The nonsporting type–this person typically didn't engage in sports in scool, so they are making up for it by taking up coasters. Instead of sports statistics, they memorize coaster statistics
4) The unsocial type–groups like ACE give some people their first time ever to be in an exclusive group

I'm sure there were more types that I'm not remembering right now. *** Edited 6/10/2006 6:24:37 AM UTC by Intamin Fan***

I R like rolleycoasters. M R fun.

That's about it. I like to be outside, and I like to have fun.

I also like to drink beer, Jagermeister and Jack Daniels, among other things. Oh, and long island iced teas, who can't appreciate a good long island iced tea?

-Josh

I cannot comment on the replies you all have given. The knowledge of coasters you have all shared is to much to tackle at once. I am learning from this more than you can believe. I'm getting a little touchie on the soft side but it is true. It has made my day to hear how enthusiastic we can all get about coasters and I bet it makes the coaster building companies more proud of there accomplishments then we can possibly amagine. Read each one of the replies everyone has sent and soak it in.

WOW!

I absolutely love rollercoasters!!! They have become a big part of my life, that's what my summer is for, to ride these things. I am interested in experiencing the thrill of riding, also a big stress reliever. Somehow I just don't feel completely alive without riding coasters at least once or twice a month. Some coasters, like TTD, I take a mechanical interest in and probably know more than most when it comes to launch systems, LIMS, S&S air-powered coasters, etc. I just think it's fascinating. I also to love to watch people ride. I can sit for upwards of an hour and just watch people's facial expressions, and reactions to riding TTD. It's a lot of fun, but I'd still much rather be riding!!! I wish I was a wealthy person, because I'd probably have my own personal thrill in my backyard, maybe something a long the lines of a Stormrunner or TTD ... a B&M like NITRO or Apollo's Chariot would be a great idea as well! *** Edited 6/10/2006 9:37:52 AM UTC by Bob Sekerak***

To me guys mostly over-analyze coasters. They are always interested in the specifics and get into heated debates about crap that really isn't that important. Chicks could care less about technical things unless we are really interested. All we care about is how the coaster, flat ride, etc., makes us FEEL.

If is does the job then it ROCKS. That's all that matters. I won't speak for ALL girls but that's how I feel. Some of us even compare them to men, but that's a whole other discussion that guys will NEVER understand. ;-)

-Tina

I've compared coasters to being with a guy, but never 'this coaster is like John, this coaster is like Joe...' Some of the noises I make may be similar too.

Our bodies were built with a Fight-or-Flight response. Adrenaline (epinephrine) for that helps keep us alive in dangerous situations. But in the modern world, the stresses we face that cause that adrenaline to kick in are frequently not conducive to fighting or flighting (bosses, driving). Coasters give us an opportunity to experience the adrenaline rush in a safe, even pleasant way, without all those actual stressors. Some people perceive it in an actual Fight-or-Flight way, as well as being disturbed by the orientation changes, & so don't like coaster/rides.

^That's what I meant....comparing coasters to guys in general. I have never compared any coasters to any guys I have been involved with or thought of, although that is an interesting concept.

As far as the noises, I agree with you. ;-)

-Tina

I have always compared myself to Top Thrill Dragster. ;)