And it's important to know that being a highly sensitive person isn't considered a mental health disorder — and that there's no official way to diagnose someone as HSP and there's no official highly sensitive person test (though there's this quiz from the doctor who coined the term “highly sensitive person.”)
It is important to remember that there is no official highly sensitive person diagnosis, and being an HSP does not mean that you have a mental illness. High sensitivity is a personality trait that involves increased responsiveness to both positive and negative influences.
Highly Sensitive Person, or HSP, is a term coined by psychologist Elaine Aron. According to Aron's theory, HSPs are a subset of the population who are high in a personality trait known as sensory-processing sensitivity, or SPS.
VULNERABILITIES IN THE HSP
They more easily get overwhelmed, burning out or feeling the stress somewhere in their body. Over time, it can trigger the onset of disease processes such as chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia.
Although it comes with challenges, being an HSP isn't a malfunction or disorder. In fact, it's perfectly normal and healthy — and in some cases, advantageous. According to Dr. Elaine Aron, author of The Highly Sensitive Person, about 15-20 percent of the population are highly sensitive.
While highly sensitive individuals tend to experience hyper-reactivity to sensory information, autistic individuals may have either a hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory information, a combination of both, or neither.
The higher your IQ, the more likely you may be a highly sensitive person.
HSPs often struggle with overthinking, feeling like an imposter, and feeling like they are always doing something wrong.
HSPs' emotions are extra vivid due to a part of the brain called the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). The vmPFC is involved in emotion regulation, especially the vividness of emotions. The emotional vividness is not of a social nature (unlike mirror neurons).
According to Aron, 15 to 20 percent of the population is born with a high level of sensitivity. “When you know that you are highly sensitive, it reframes your life,” says Aron. Knowing that you have this trait will enable you to make better decisions.
Are easily overwhelmed by such things as bright lights, strong smells, coarse fabrics, or loud sirens. Feel stressed when they have a lot to accomplish in a short amount of time. Avoid violent movies and TV shows. Withdraw during busy days.
The big difference is that people with BPD tend to be willing to express themselves in any and all environments regardless of who is present. Whereas people with HSP tend to be more withdrawn in front of others and reserve their mood swings for a few safe people.
Experts say although HSP doesn't cause bipolar disorder or other mental health conditions, it is more common in affective disorders. As a result, dealing with super sensitivity—feeling distressed by “normal” experiences—or during high-stress times, can often trigger a mood episode and visa versa.
Most highly sensitive people display rare strengths in key areas of emotional intelligence, also known as emotional quotient (EQ) — the ability to recognize and understand emotions in themselves and others. These strengths including self-awareness and social-awareness.
It tends to bubble up into anxiety and or depression when left untreated. HSPs can be even more impacted by trauma. I struggled the whole semester and ended up taking the next semester off. It was then my depression and anxiety hit the hardest.
Someone who knows how to have an authentic connection — they like deep conversations about feelings, emotions, and aspirations. Superficial relationships made up of small talk hold no value to highly sensitive people.
If you're a highly sensitive person, you have a heightened awareness of the stimuli around you, which can be good or bad. HSPs tend to be bothered by violence and can easily be overwhelmed, which leads them to avoid certain situations. Highly sensitive people can also be very creative and have a deep level of empathy.
The three subtypes of highly sensitive people include Aesthetic Sensitivity (AES), Low Sensory Threshold (LST), and Ease of Excitation (EOE). Before we explain what each of these means, it's important to note that HSPs can fit into more than one subtype, each subtype has its own characteristics.
Being a highly sensitive person and an empath are not mutually exclusive: One can be both, and many highly sensitive people are also empaths.
Unfortunately, many HSPs become more stressed and are more prone to anxiety disorders. They have a hard time with conflict and tend to avoid confrontation. This can be challenging in the workplace or at home. They also feel responsible for others' expectations, which makes it harder to let people down.
Intuitive nurturing skills
In addition to heightened empathy, our sensitivity also leads us to place value on nurturing others. We know not everyone experiences life as intensely as we do, but because we're used to feeling deeply, we strongly desire to bring happiness to the ones we love and help them avoid pain.
She discovered that 87% of gifted people are also highly sensitive.
Highly sensitive people (HSPs) are generally more sensitive to the environment and social interactions, and it takes them longer to take in information. Empaths share many qualities with HSPs, but they also have more developed intuition and absorb emotions like sponges.
The Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) is a term coined by Dr Elaine Aron, to describe a neutral trait present in about 20% of the population of humans as well as non-humans. HSPs are also neurodivergent, their brains being wired differently.