Highly Sensitive People
Are you deeply moved by beauty, art or nature? Do you feel overwhelmed by loud noises and crowds, bright lights or other external stimuli? Or do you know someone that does, and maybe needs downtime in response to busy days, beyond just a preference or being an introvert? Being a ‘highly sensitive person,’ or HSP is a thing. And the more you learn about it, the more you may realize that you know some HSP’s or that you are one yourself.
Sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS) is the personality trait found in about fifteen to twenty percent of the population. Those with SPS have strong reactions to internal and external stimuli, hold a complex inner life, and embody high levels of sensitivity in response to noise, light, pain, and hunger. While HSP’s are known for being creative, appreciative of beauty and foster close relationships, they also make efforts to avoid stimuli that disturbs them.
A personality trait not a mental disorder, SPS has genetic and environmental roots; if you are a highly sensitive person, chances are close family members may be as well. Highly sensitive people can struggle to adapt to new environments as much as they form close bonds with those they care about. It is important to know your triggers and strengths if you are an HSP. It is also different from having a Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and is not synonymous with being introverted and in need of recharging or an empath that absorbs the moods of others. HSP’s have a strong reaction to their environment and process information accurately, the biggest distinction.
Like those that are left-handed (which is less than fifteen percent of the population) the world is not build around them. The opposite of an HSP is someone having low sensory processing sensitivity, or someone that is ‘sensory-resilient.’ This manifests in recovering quickly from chaos, not being overwhelmed easily by external stimuli, preferring more action and less downtime. This doesn’t mean a lack of empathy, being shallow or care for the world around them, this is more of a high tolerance to a world that might drain a highly sensitive person.
How we are raised has an impact here. Parental warmth or lack of it may alter levels of sensitivity, along with evolution as HSP is not unique to humans. Survival of the species was and is likely assisted by HSP’s scoping out and being acutely aware of danger. Like many things, dopamine plays a role in shaping a highly sensitive person; it does not take as much excitement or reward to impact an HSP.
If you are a highly sensitive person, you may be susceptible to social stressors and avoid situations that are taxing. Conflict may not be as easily dismissed, and tension could be misinterpreted. Whether you are the HSP or are close to someone that is, enjoy the empathy, acute perception of the world, joy found in beauty and daily gratitude for life that is usually associated with being a highly sensitive person.