The Highly Sensitive Person: An Introduction

Sensitivity-- emotional or otherwise-- is not exactly a new concept to the world. Nor was it new when research psychologist Dr. Elaine Aron published the book "The Highly Sensitive Person" in 1996. However, Aron's book shed some new light on a topic that affects a large number of people, by asking the world to consider sensitivity as an inherent physiological trait, rather than as a possible pathology.

Although more than fifteen years have passed, and the book has offered personal insights for millions of people, there remain questions and a fair amount of skepticism of sensitivity as a "trait." Interestingly enough, some of this skepticism can be found in the very people who are highly sensitive persons (HSPs), themselves. Such skepticism can very likely be attributed to a general trend in our society to "medicalize" or "pathologize" many things that essentially fall within the realm of "normal human experience."

This article offers a brief introduction to the HSP trait. For more articles about different HSP related topics, please check the list at the end of this article.

Dr. Aron's research suggests that approximately 15-20% of the population fit the description of being "Highly Sensitive."

HSPs-- by her definition-- are people whose brains and central nervous systems are "wired" in such a way that they are more acutely aware of, and attuned to, themselves, other people, and their environment. As a result, a highly sensitive person is more easily stimulated and aroused by their surroundings, from which it follows that they also get more readily "overaroused" than most people.

Sensitivity is an inborn trait which-- interestingly enough-- researchers have also observed in animal populations ranging from deer to octopi. During the last few years, the term "High Sensitivity" has started to be replaced by the more scientific "Sensory Processing Sensitivity," now used by neuroscientists studying the trait.

The immediate thing that comes to mind when people hear the word "sensitive" is that a person gets their feelings hurt really easily. Whereas this kind of emotional sensitivity can certainly be a part of being an HSP, it by no means "defines" the trait, and a cultural bias in which "sensitivity" is equated with "weakness" represents one area in which many HSPs often feel like they are being unfairly-- and negatively-- judged.

One of the most important things to remember about the HSP trait is that it is, ultimately, neutral. It has benefits, as well as disadvantages. It is also a physiological trait. A Highly Sensitive Person does not "choose" to be sensitive, they are born-- and wired-- that way.

So let's examine some aspects of High Sensitivity, from a more thorough and balanced perspective.

Sensitivity can vary considerably from person to person, and manifests in different ways. Indeed, getting one's feelings hurt easily can be a large part of the picture. But there is much more.

• HSPs are often very sensitive to pain, both physical and emotional.
• HSPs often respond to much lower doses of medications than most people.
• HSPs tend to be easily startled, and often feel overwhelmed by loud sensory inputs.
• HSPs tend to be uncommonly cautious when facing new situations.
• HSPs are often highly conscientious and tend towards perfectionism.
• HSPs are easily shaken up and distressed by changes, and don't do well in "multitasking" situations.
• HSPs are often negatively affected by loud noises, strong scents and smells, or bright lights.
• HSPs tend to be "cooperative," rather than "competitive," and often underperform in competitive environments
• HSPs get easily rattled in stressful situations.
• HSPs are often deeply empathic and frequently "pick up moods" from other people.
• Even when extraverted, HSPs tend to be introspective, have rich inner lives, and need a lot of time alone.
• HSPs are disproportionately drawn to the arts and music, and tend to be very easily moved to tears by expressions of beauty and intensity, as well as images of horror and violence.

If some of this sounds like you, or someone you know, you might consider looking at this free self-test for sensitivity, on Dr. Aron's web site. It is only 27 questions, and takes no more than about five minutes to complete.

In addition to understanding some of the many aspects of being an HSP, a lot can also be learned from looking at some of the things that are not High Sensitivity-- yet these "lookalikes" are often mistakenly attributed to the trait.

An HSP is not, by definition, "an introvert." Whereas being highly sensitive does have a high correlation with introversion, approximately 30% of HSPs are extraverts. The extraverted HSP faces additional challenges in that they feel a strong need for stimulation and want to be among people... yet doing so often leads to overstimulation.

An HSP is not "a shy person." Shyness is widely recognized as being an issue centered around self-perception-- typically excessive self-consciousness, irrationally negative self-evaluation, and irrationally negative self-preoccupation. People are not born shy, and the psychology profession has established that there is really no "sense of self" prior to ages 12-18 months. As such, shyness is a learned behavior, while sensitivity is not.

An HSP is not "socially anxious." Social Anxiety is a mental/emotional disorder, typically the result of some kind of emotional trauma or ongoing condition that makes social situations particularly difficult for that individual. Social Anxiety deals with fears, while being an HSP deals with nervous system arousal levels. It should be noted, however, that because HSPs tend to be both introspective and more attuned to social stimuli, they are somewhat more likely to encounter situations that may lead to developing Social Anxiety. An HSP can have Social Anxiety, but having Social Anxiety doesn't mean you're an HSP.

An HSP does not have Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID). Whereas this disorder does involve the central nervous system, it essentially refers to a condition in which a personsenses physical stimuli normally, but perceives them abnormally. This is not true about being highly sensitive... whereas an HSP may feel sensory overload, he or she senses andperceives consistently. However, an HSP can suffer from SID, just like anyone else.

An HSP does not have Asperger's Disorder (formerly Asperger's Syndrome). There are a lot of overlaps between the diagnostic criteria for Asperger's (a form of high-functioning autism) and the description of High Sensitivity. That said, the two are not the same, and while an HSP may have Asperger's, being an HSP doesn't mean you have the disorder. One of the primary ways to tell the two apart comes in the context of social interactions. Individuals with Asperger's generally have difficulty understanding social cues and reading such things as body language and facial expressions, while HSPs tend to be attuned to these in a much above average way. If you'd like to learn more, there's a useful article on Elaine Aron's web site, explaining the differences.

An HSP is not, by definition, "neurotic." This is perhaps the most difficult aspect of the HSP trait to explain since-- after all-- the word "neurotic" is directly linked to nervous system disorders, and being highly sensitive is all about the nervous system. What perhaps should be kept in mind is how we define neurosis: A non-psychotic mental illness that triggers feelings of distress and anxiety, and generally results in impaired functioning. One way to distinguish is to remember that neuroses center around pathological responses, while sensitivity represents healthy/normal (albeit possibly extreme) responses. Sensitivity does not involve mental illness, although (as in the case of Social Anxiety) HSPs may be more prone to neuroses than the population at large.

An HSP is not "superior," in some way. As stated earlier, the trait is basically "neutral," with associated upsides and downsides. For example an HSP may be able to hear your baby crying even when you can't ("positive"), but potentially may never enjoy a live concert because it's overwhelmingly loud ("negative") to their ears. Or, an HSP may be able to smell a gas leak before anyone else ("good"), but might get repeated headaches from being exposed to the smell of common household cleaning products ("bad").

HSP is not a synonym for "nice person" or "milquetoast." Again, it's important to remember that behaviors tend to be a choice. I have met a number of HSPs I would by no means characterize as "nice people," nor does sensitivity necessarily make someone a "pushover."

One of the common arguments I hear is that "everyone is sensitive" and that it is somehow elitist or discriminatory for some people to consider themselves highly sensitive.

The important distinction to make here is between what constitutes "a behavior" and what is a "physiological trait." I agree entirely that anyone can choose to act in a sensitive manner. As such, the answer to the above question-- strictly speaking-- could be "yes."

The primary difference is that an HSP doesn't really have a choice in the matter. Think of it this way: Regardless of whether they like the sun or not, some people can go outside in the summer and work all day, and all they get is a tan. Others, however (who may love the sun), get third degree sunburns within an hour. And so it is, with HSPs and their sensitivity, since we are actually dealing with brains and central nervous systems that are "wired" a little differently from the majority of the population.

This becomes important when it comes to understanding interactions with HSPs. Many societies--especially in the industrialized West-- do not value sensitivity, because we live in competitive "dog-eat-dog" cultures. Whatever your perception of sensitivity may be, keep in mind that telling a highly sensitive person to "get over it" and "develop a thicker skin" is an exercise in futility; they cannot change the way their nervous system is wired any more than you can change the natural color of your eyes or the size of your feet.

This is the first of an ongoing series of articles about being a Highly Sensitive Person, and how to incorporate the trait into getting the most out of life, as opposed to "hiding" because the world just seems too overwhelming. These articles are intended both to offer insights for HSPs, as well as information for those who have HSPs in their life, and feel a little unsure of how to deal with this "overly sensitive person" who seems to respond to life rather differently from the rest of the world.

Learning is key to "making peace" with your high sensitivity. Throughout this article you've seen links to books about the trait (and there are some more, below). I have read all these books and feel comfortable recommending them. I also suggest reading my other articles in the list further down on the page; they cover a variety of specific topics.

As an HSP, myself, I have been studying and incorporating the trait into my life and lifestyle choices for more than a decade and a half, and I continue to be surprised by how little practical and concrete information is available. There is plenty of "theory" out there, but not so much when it comes to the "nuts and bolts" of how to deal with and make the most of a variety of situations that may be "easy" for most people, but present challenges for the typical HSP. With a bit of luck, I can perhaps address some of these issues.

The following book list introduces some of the essential reading on the topic of being a Highly Sensitive Person. I personally have read and own all these books, and HIGHLY recommend them to all HSPs are part of the learning process.