Albert Einstein, Nicole Kidman, Jim Hallowes (founder of HighlySensitivePeople.com), Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Judy Garland and Martin Luther King Jr are some famous personalities known as highly sensitive people (HSP).
In fact, Albert Einstein, one of the greatest thinkers of our time, was believed to have been highly sensitive and is quoted as saying, “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.”
HSPs are typically highly intelligent, and seek out opportunities to do deep work.
Elaine Aron's book The Highly Sensitive Person was published in 1996. In 1997 Elaine and Arthur Aron formally identified sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) as the defining trait of highly sensitive persons (HSPs).
She discovered that 87% of gifted people are also highly sensitive.
Psychologist Elaine Aron developed the concept of highly sensitive persons (HSPs) to describe those who display notable sensitivity to various forms of stimuli. Aron estimates roughly 15–20% of the population is highly sensitive.
Stress & Sensitivity Can Worsen With Age for HSPs. Here's How to Prevent That. If you are a highly sensitive person (HSP) you might be growing larger stress centers in your brain without even knowing it, and if you don't do anything about it, they will become even bigger.
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.
Most HSPs are either INFJs or INFPs — the ones that don't tend to be ENFJs or ENFPs. Whether you're one or both, it's important to know what stresses you, what overstimulates you and what makes you feel calm, relaxed and happy.
Since HSPs think and process things deeply, they often have a rich and complex inner world. They often have deep thoughts and strong feelings to go with them, as well as having vividly realistic dreams.
Not only are HSPs extra sensitive to environmental stimulation, they're also sensitive emotionally. According to Dr. Elaine Aaron, author of The Highly Sensitive Person, sensitive people tend to cry more easily than others.
When highly sensitive people (HSPs) confide about love, there is notable depth and intensity. They fall in love hard and they work hard on their close relationships. Yes, sometimes non-HSPs sound similarly enthralled and confused by love, but on the average, HSPs have a more soul-shaking underlying experience.
As an HSP, you may have felt weird growing up. Now you may feel out of place as a kind-hearted entrepreneur in world that glorifies hard-driving hustle. Fear not, because your sensitivity is a strength you can leverage for success.
Many HSPs are successful actors, artists and writers because they can tap into their emotions so easily. Some of the most successful actors say they are HSP, including Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep and Viola Davis. They have all spoken about how their sensitivity has helped them in their careers.
It is also commonly said that he had ADHD — because he daydreamed in school when he was young and was famously forgetful — and Asperger's Syndrome, a disorder on the autism spectrum characterized by problems with social interaction and repetitive patterns of behavior.
Are Highly Sensitive People More Susceptible to Trauma? In a word, yes. As highly sensitive people, our nervous systems are more finely tuned than those of non-HSPs. This means we respond to all stimuli in a stronger way, including traumatic experiences.
Due to traits of their personality, heightened empathy or childhood conditioning, many highly sensitive people have repressed anger, and do not know how to deal with their emotions healthily.
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.
Some children with AP-4-HSP have reached their early 20s, but long-term life expectancy for this condition is still unclear, as it was only first recognized in 2011. However, many children with hereditary spastic paraplegias in general have a normal life expectancy.
For HSPs, who exist in a world that doesn't always understand our needs and neurodivergence, dating can be especially overwhelming. The uncertainty makes the process inherently risky, especially for people who experience feelings on a more intense level than most.
They are called “too sensitive,” inhibited, or fearful. Sensitive people have a higher likelihood of having low self-esteem. As a highly sensitive person, you may have learned to hide the depth of your emotions or your propensity to become overwhelmed.
Most HSPs need at least 8 hours, and many sleep over the average -- 9 or 10 hours nightly. If you're not getting enough sleep you WILL burn out and edge towards depression, anxiety and become less capable of functioning.
Highly sensitive people may be more affected by certain situations such as tension, violence, and conflict, which may lead them to avoid things that make them feel uncomfortable. You might be highly touched by beauty or emotionality. Highly sensitive people tend to feel deeply moved by the beauty they see around them.
Alone Time Helps HSPs Process Life
And nearly 30 percent of the population is highly sensitive, so it's not as uncommon as people think. When you're highly in tune with everything (and everyone) around you, it's natural to become overstimulated — and easily overwhelmed.