In keeping
with the week’s impromptu theme of addiction,
this guest post was written by psychology and anthropology student Kelsi Nummerdor
following her ethnographic and theoretical research as a participant in The
Anthropology of Surfing, a three-week study abroad field course offered by
the University of Georgia and taught in Costa Rica by anthropologist Dr. Pete
Brosius. Kelsi explores the addictive quality of surfing, shedding light on a puzzling question - which came first: the surfer or the addict? Are we addicts because we are surfers, or are we surfers because we are addicts?
The
Stoke: Motivation, Addiction,
and the Affective Experience of Surfers
“Catch
a wave and you’re sitting on top of the world”. These are the iconic words of
the 1963 Beach Boys hit, Catch a Wave.
This sentiment expresses, in a way, the focus of my ethnographic study of
surfers along the Guanacaste coast. The affective experience of surfing, though
limited significantly in narratability, is intensely sought after and highly
regarded among surfers. The emotional states that occur while surfing are
described and expressed in a variety of ways, but there is general agreement
that the feeling of the “stoke”, as well as other psycho-emotional and
physiological states produced by the physical act of surfing, are highly pleasurable
and oftentimes semi-addictive. This cycle of intense affective experience,
motivation to re-experience, and subsequent “addiction” is apparent among the lifestyle/soul-surfers
I encountered in Guanacaste. Additionally, numerous portrayals of surfers in
the media support the claim that surfing is semi-addictive, and that this
addiction could possibly be explained by physiological and psychological states
inherently catalyzed by the surf experience. Additionally, a multitude of
social, environmental, and individual factors can actuate or reinforce
motivation to surf. It is exigent to add that this process of “addiction” occurs
among the presence of significant risks to physical and social well being (i.e.,
situations wherein decisions are made that elevate surfing above job or
relationship security). Surfing is inherently risky and surfers choose to surf despite,
perhaps even because of, these risks.
It must
initially be addressed that describing the affective experience of surfing is
oftentimes arduous, resulting in fragmentary and largely incomplete data. This
is due in large part to the inherent limits of narratability that surround surfing;
the surfing experience was termed “indescribable” by many interviewees. The
embodied nature of surfing in conjunction with low levels of explicit knowledge
and relatively high levels of tacit knowledge help explain these limits: one
cannot state exactly how it feels to experience surfing because many aspects of
the activity are largely unconscious and acquired through repetitious bodily
training. The partially tacit nature of surf knowledge should not suggest
simplicity, however. Although decision-making while in the core flow state of
surfing seems to be largely unconscious, a highly complex decision making
process is still able to occur (Butts, ND). I believe that the process of
embodied action in conjunction with the highly unique flow state experience
contribute to the addictiveness of surfing. I am willing to postulate that embodiment
in the “flow” is highly psychologically pleasurable, and therefore semi-addictive
in its own right. I will address this, categorized as a state of intense focus,
in subsequent paragraphs.
The
aforementioned limits of narratability occur quite quickly when discussing surfing,
and make significant understanding of the activity by non-participants nearly
impossible. Butts addresses the importance of participant-observation in his
article Good to the Last Drop:
Understanding Surfers’ Motivation. Personal anecdotal experience supports
Butts statement. I was able to explore the act of surfing over the course of
three weeks, and believe it has allowed me to push these limits of narratability
significantly farther than observation as a non-participant.
Addiction can
be described in a variety of ways, and my use of the term here is loose and
context-specific. I have chosen to organize my findings around the following
working definition of addiction: “the condition of being habitually or
compulsively occupied with or involved in something”. This definition is broad
enough to allow behavior, even cognition, to constitute addiction. The lack of
explicit reference to substance allows significantly greater freedom in
conceptualizing behaviors, even lifestyle choices, as addictions. Additionally,
the term occupied allows one to conceive
of many instances of occupation.
Cognition, discussion, media consumption, and actual performance of an activity
may all be categorized as occupation.
Psychological and medical literature on addiction is very broad, and I will not
describe in detail specific mechanisms of addiction. I will, however, posit
that I believe surfing creates a pleasurable physiological response that promotes
addiction. Action-specific neurotransmitters (i.e., adrenaline and dopamine)
are likely released while surfing. These neurotransmitters catalyze feelings of
excitement and pleasure that motivate surfers to repeatedly pursue peak
experiences. Conversely, Butts postulates that the nearly constant emotional
flux between tension and calm (e.g., the roughness of the inside relative to
the serenity of the line-up) functions as a mechanism of physiological
optimization of performance in the water. This state of oscillating emotional
arousal, Butts suggests, could help us understand the addictive nature of
surfing. In chapter four of Surfing and
Social Theory, Ford posits a slightly different mechanism: mimetic theory.
This theory describes mimetic activities as those that simulate emotions
present in riskier, more violent times of human presence. These activities are
therefore primordially satisfying. Surfing could prove to be a mimetic activity
and therefore a catalyst of intense fight-or-flight-esque emotions. The
intensity and rarity of these experiences could also help explain their
addictive properties.
Ethnographically,
addiction presents in a multitude of ways. The jargon of addiction is often
employed by surfers to describe how they experience the desire to surf, or to
describe the initial process of becoming “hooked” on the sport. I encountered
the phrase “I got the itch [to surf]” multiple times from various sources. One
individual, the owner of a tattoo shop, revealed that if the waves are good, he
will close the shop in the middle of the day to go surf. This is an example of
socially and economically risky behavior that is employed to allow the surfer
to get his “fix”. Another individual expressed explicitly that he is “addicted
to adrenaline, fear, and pain…surfing is a love, a passion, an addiction, an
obsession, a way of life. It shapes your decisions”. Another surfer expressed a
feeling of exhaustion after surfing that made him want to do nothing for the
rest of the day. This exhaustion is an interesting parallel to the feeling of
satiation an addict receives after receiving one’s “fix”. Similarly, one surfer
remarked that he did not surf competitively because surfing “gave him enough”. The
centrality of surfing in lifestyle fulfills the habitual requirement of my working definition of addiction.
There are many
additional aspects of surfing that could contribute to its semi-addictive
nature. Most obvious is the physiological and emotional rush one receives when
riding a wave. This is what surfers call the “stoke”. The transitory nature of
this feeling promotes the search for the next good wave, the next “high”. I
experienced multiple times the “one more wave” phenomenon, wherein I decided to
end my surfing session for the day, but stayed out for as much as 45 minutes
longer because I was searching for the next “great wave”. In psychological
terms, this could be conceptualized as variable-interval reinforcement within
Skinner’s ‘Schedules of Reinforcement’ within the larger construct of operant
conditioning. In this schedule of reinforcement, participants are uninformed as
to when reward will be received; like gambling, one waits in a constant state
of anticipation for positive reinforcement. In both surfing and other activities,
anticipation, subsequent arousal, and eventual reward catalyze the creation of
addiction and reinforce established addiction. Additionally, feeling capable,
strong, and like you are “riding the energy of the wave” are all also positive behavioral
reinforcements. The pleasure of spontaneity, a can-do autonomy, and control
over behavior (perhaps magnified by the opposing nature of the out-of-control
ocean) also reinforce motivation to surf (Ford 2006).
Social
reinforcement and motivation also exist. Being part of the surf community can
be highly socially satisfying and consequently promote increased surf
behaviors. The embodied nature of surfing greatly heightens this group dynamic
of ‘us’ versus ‘them’. As one surfer said, “you have to experience it [surfing]
to understand it”. This group dynamic also allows members to sustain a feeling
of “antipathy towards bureaucracy and formal organizations” (Ford 2006). The
ability to drop out, live in the present (similar fundamentally, I believe, to
the flow experience of embodiment), and choose “freedom” are also motivational
for surfers (Ford 2006). One can “escape, relocate, and travel” in the name of
surfing (Comer 2010). Ethnographically speaking, the character of Kahuna in Gidget exemplifies the life of a surfer
bum who “drops out” of society to pursue surfing and “live the dream”. Similarly, the surf community, through the
creation and sustainment of community, social reinforcements, enculturation
practices, and multi-media sources of information dissemination, are able to
create their own world with unique standards of etiquette (line-up etiquette),
skill appraisal, and conceptions of space. This unique space suited to the
desires, needs, and preferences of surfers motivates surfers to continue surf
behaviors and perpetuate surf society. In other words, a positive feedback loop
exists such that the more surf culture grows, the more it reinforces its own
growth.
The ocean
environment also seems to be motivational for many surfers. Surfing and Social Theory posits that
the centrality of a personal relationship with the ocean is fundamental to the
sport. Interesting, this hypothesis presents ethnographically. One surfer
stated that, “[while surfing] it’s just you and the waves”. Others remarked
that the “environment is great” and that “respect for the ocean” is crucial. The
serenity of the line-up, the humbling experience of being among dangerous
wildlife, and the feeling of incredible smallness that occurs when floating in
the ocean make me believe wholeheartedly that the powerful, aquatic environment
is in itself reinforcing because of its uniqueness and extremity. In few other
places, as one surfer remarked, is the environment constantly changing.
Drowning, shark attacks, and other serious injuries also occur amongst the
waves. These risks likely heighten the arousal state and make the feeling of
success, or “dominating a wave”, more deeply fulfilling. So it does indeed seem
that certain individuals may surf because of risks inherent to surfing, and not
in spite of them. This postulate is supported by the seemingly large number of
surfers who also take part in other extreme sports like skateboarding, snowboarding,
or jumping motorbikes.
Ethnographic
study illuminates explicitly describable motivation for certain surfers. I
received a variety of responses when asking why individuals surf. There were
common themes, however. Surfing was referred to by several participants as a
“focus point” or “100% focus, like meditation; a zen moment”. This intensity of
focus, I believe, corresponds to the core flow experience of surfing, the peak
of the embodiment phase, wherein decisions are made unconsciously and
incredibly quickly. I believe this could catalyze another theme I witnessed:
the experience of “leaving” your problems in the water. I was told: “if you
have problems, you forget them in the water”, surfing is an “escape”, surfing
“gives you a fresh start”, “you go into the water with a full chalkboard…it
[surfing] clears your chalkboard”. Butts
also remarked that surfing “clears the mind and cleanses the spirit.” Similarly,
surfing and the relationship with the ocean is seen as fundamentally religious
by some. “Mother Ocean” was referenced by one interviewee, and merchandise
stating “surfing is my religion” can be seen in surf communities like
Guanacaste. Additionally, certain surfers reserve specific rituals for new surf
boards or pre-ride physical preparations.
Among other
things, surfing can “teach you discipline”, keep you “physically fit”, and
sustain a “life philosophy”. One surfer, when asked what surfing does for him,
remarked emphatically “What doesn’t it do for me?” and began to list a wide
range of benefits and ideologies that surfing supplies him. Surfing, for many,
is fulfilling, addictive, motivating, and enjoyable. Surfers often surf for
life, and mindfully construct their lives in order to most effectively fulfill
their “fix”. In closing, many people reflected that surfing simply feels good. Gidget herself expressed elatedly
and repeatedly that surfing is “the ultimate!”
Future research
on surfing could begin to illuminate answers to significant questions regarding
narratability of flow states, obsessive or risk-taking behavior among surfers,
and (if they are present) individual differences between people who get hooked
on surfing and those who do not. It would be beneficial for addiction studies
in general, I believe, to understand what factors influence the development of
individual addiction. No amount of research will answer completely or
satisfactorily what surfing means to every surfer; too much emotional and
experiential variation undoubtedly exists. However, beginning to understand the
motivations, experiences, perceptions, addictions, lifestyle choices, and
health benefits of surfers will be both generative and beneficial for a variety
of multifaceted disciplines. I am glad I had to opportunity to experience
surfing, and to begin what I hope will be a journey into the inner workings of
surfing. Right now, above all else, I would really like to go catch a wave.
Works Cited
Butts,
Steven. ND. “Good to the last drop: Understanding
surfer’s motivations.” Sociology of Sport Online 4(1):
Comer,
K. 2010.
“Californians in Diaspora: The making of a local/global
subculture.” Chap. 1, Surfer Girls in the New World Order. Durham: Duke University Press.
Ford,
N. & D. Brown. “Surfing as
subculture and lifestyle.” 2006. Chap.
4, Surfing and Social Theory: Experience,
Embodiment and Narrative of the Dream Glide. London: Routledge.
Henderson,
M. 2001.
“A shifting line up: Men, women, and Tracks
surfing magazine.” Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies 15(3):319-332.
3. sooner than later
the
fire in us made the snow feel warm when my toes went numb in your white
wonderland. i met your friends; the quirky bookstore, the local coffee shop
where everybody knew your name. your mom made us dinner with the turmeric i had
brought as a gift; your dad was impressed by our conversation, your arm around
my shoulder. you liked how i felt there with you. 
your face was my vision in the
sweat lodge on the full moon. dark skin, wide nose, thick lips, long dreds
braided down your back. of course it was a sign of cosmic validation when i saw
your missed calls, text messages asking me where i was. it was probably the exact
same moment you were on my mind as i dripped hot sweat into the cool, prickly
earth. we’re that connected. i was
ready for us to be together. you felt ready to me, too.
