Sydney, July 15 - The image of those who take part in extreme sports is usually that of risk-takers and adrenaline junkies, but in reality the opposite is true. Most people into extreme sports are surprisingly cautious, says a new study.

'The people I knew were very careful, disciplined, determined and focussed, not at all reckless or risk-taking; for some people to get to a certain level of a sport, it takes 15 years of dedicated training, which is not something you would associate with a thrill-seeker,' said Eric Brymer, lecturer at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

Brymer conducted interviews with extreme sports people aged from 30 to 73, to find out how they felt when they did the activity, and what their motivations were.

'What I found was that these people have a real love for these activities, and talk about a realisation about the power of nature, a sense of humility, and a real sense of peace,' he said.

'They also said they felt a sense of relaxation and freedom, not in the socio-cultural sense but in the sense that they were so focussed and aware, it was like clearing the mind in meditation.