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.
You might be an HSP if you can't watch very scary, gory, or violent movies without getting upset or even feeling physically ill. Similarly, you may not be able to stomach a news story about animal cruelty or similar brutal acts.
The brains of sensitive people can grow and change in ways that may allow for more creative associations. Sensory intelligence. Sensory intelligence means taking in more information from your environment and making good decisions based on that information—a defining characteristic of highly sensitive people.
Sights, sounds, smells, and other forms of sensory input may cause a heightened experience for HSPs. A sound that is barely perceptible to most people may be very noticeable, and possibly even painful, to an HSP. There's more to being a highly sensitive person than just being sensitive to stimuli.
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.
“The higher an individual's IQ, the more likely the person is to fit the characteristics of a sensitive person.” This correlation has been observed across a wide range of fields, from the arts to science to business.
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. “Sensitive people can't help but express what they're feeling,” she told the Huffington Post.
HSPs are typically highly intelligent, and seek out opportunities to do deep work. Many HSPs are academics, artists, researchers, scientists and technicians with high level proficiency. HSPs are deep learners, and so enjoy going deep on their chosen subjects, and often gain proficiency early in life.
HSPs often struggle with overthinking, feeling like an imposter, and feeling like they are always doing something wrong.
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.
Bjelland noted a belief that all empaths are HSPs, but not all HSPs are empaths. Dr. Orloff said that an empath indeed carries all of the attributes of an HSP but with more developed intuition and a sponge-like ability for absorbing emotions. "You turn up the volume going from HSP to empath," Dr.
In the DSM sensory processing sensitivity (the formal name for HSP) it is not associated with autism at all. Another major difference is that HSP don't struggle with 'social' issues like eye contact, recognizing faces, social cues, and knowing the intentions of others.
Elton John, Martin Luther King Jr., Albert Einstein, Elanor Roosevelt, Robert Frost, and Emily Dickinson are just a few popular people with whose outward personas line up with the highly sensitive personality.
A slower, simpler pace of life
Because they process information deeply, HSPs may move a little slower than non-HSPs. They may need more time to do certain tasks, like getting out of the house in the morning.
If someone's levels are high, overwhelm will occur much more quickly. If someone is unable to self-regulate or decrease the overwhelm, then a meltdown can occur. Meltdowns are often mistaken for tantrums in children as they will throw themselves around, scream, cry, or lash out much like they would during a tantrum.
Highly sensitive people are easy to love and easy to live with—as long as you understand our unique needs. They say we can't help who we fall in love with, which I think is true. So you may very well fall in love with a highly sensitive person (HSP).
1. Jealousy. The dictionary defines jealousy as "feelings of worry over the potential loss of something valuable." In business, experiencing jealousy is fairly common, but those feelings are amplified if you're a highly sensitive person.
HSPs care deeply about their friends and tend to form deep bonds with people. Again, the empathy that a highly sensitive person brings to the table is a powerful tool for being a supportive friend and loved one. You may be grateful for the life you have.
Highly sensitive people traits
Avoiding TV shows or movies that are violent. Finding the beauty in almost anything, whether it's art or something in nature. Feeling overwhelmed by noises, bright lights and uncomfortable clothes. Feeling anxious.
She discovered that 87% of gifted people are also highly sensitive.
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.