CAGLIARI Introduction Risk behaviors are defined as daring conduct that may endanger physical, psychological and social well-being in the short and long term. These behaviors include the practice of extreme sports, different disciplines that share research of the physical limits and risk taking. The scientific literature has highlighted as psychological determinants of extreme practice the personality trait sensation seeking (Boyd & Kim, 2007; Asci et al, 2007) and the emotions’ regulation system (Gray, 1999). This study investigated risk perceptions, emotions’ regulation and some personality traits in a sample of adolescents and young adults engaged in various extreme sports. Me-thods The total sample consists of 102 young people (71 males; 31 females) aged from 16 to 28 years (M=22.23, SD=3.31): 49 practicing extreme sports and 53 belonging to a control group. Participants completed following tests: Sensation Seeking Scale, Positive and Nega-tive Affect Schedule, Behavioral Activation Scale/Behavioral Inhibition Scale (BIS/BAS), Physical Risk Assessment Inventory, Flow State Scale. To evaluate the differences between the groups we conducted a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) using the group’s membership and gender as independent variables, and the average scores of scales as dependent variables. Results The group of extreme sports has a greater orientation toward the BAS, with significantly higher values in all its subscales. It also reported the highest scores in positive affect, challenge balance skills and thrill and adventure seeking. There were also significant differences by gender: males have higher scores on clear goals, unambiguous feedback and thrill and adventure seeking; females showed BIS scores similar to BAS scores and significantly greater than males. Conclusions Young people who practice extreme sports have a greater impulsivity (as evidenced by BAS scores), positive affects linked to dangerous experiences and a greater propensity for thrill and adventure. Women seem to represent a more healthy model to live the extreme sports adventure, since they show a greater balance between the behavior-al activation systems (BIS/BAS). References Asci, F. H., Demirhan, G., Dinc, S.C., (2007). Psychological profile of Turkish rock climbers: An examination of climbing experience and route difficulty. Perceptual and Motor Skills. 104 (3, Pt 1), 892-900. Boyd, M.P., Kim, M., (2007). Goal Orientation and Sensation Seeking in Relation to Optimal Mood States Among Skateboarders. Journal of Sport Behavior. 30(1), 21-35. Gray, J.A. (1999). Cognition, emotion, conscious experience and the brain. In T. Dalgleish & M.J. Power (Eds.), Handbook of cognition and emotion. Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 83-102.