Overall, sensitivity is a heightened “ability to perceive, process, and respond deeply to one's environment,” which means sensitive people absorb more sensory information (often unconsciously), think more deeply, and find more interconnections among disparate things than less sensitive people typically do.
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 your IQ, the more likely you may be a highly sensitive person.
How common are highly sensitive people? Since Aron conceived the concept of what it means to be an HSP, more and more people have been identifying themselves as highly sensitive. It is believed that HSPs are not rare, and that about 15-20% of the population are thought to be an HSP.
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 avoid uncomfortable or overwhelming situations.
Because HSPs are prone to anxiety, it's common to struggle with and avoid uncomfortable or overwhelming situations. There is nothing wrong with choosing to opt-out of a party because being in a crowd of people is not exactly your idea of a good time.
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.
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 introverted (I) intuitive (N) types (“INs”)—INFJ, INFP, INTJ and INTP—are among the most “sensitive” of the personality types. This is especially true of those who are more turbulent than assertive.
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.
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.
It is said that highly sensitive women experience a lot more orgasms in their lives than other people. That's true. But perhaps they do not so much have more orgasms, as researched, but rather a greater ability to have multiple orgasms and to experience any sexual act very intensely.
In addition to being great listeners, highly sensitive people also have excellent memories. They remember all the details, especially those they believe are important to their companions and to their relationships.
2. No, we don't read minds, but do read emotions. The word “empathic” is used often in highly sensitive people, but that doesn't mean we can read minds. We have a higher sense of the emotions we and others around us feel.
It is a trait linked to giftedness and something we ought to embrace. In fact, according to three decades of research, it's not only a healthy trait, it also serves as a a powerful asset. As a personality trait, being sensitive means you take in more information from your environment, and you do more with it.
She discovered that 87% of gifted people are also highly sensitive.
Being highly sensitive is an invaluable trait that comes with many advantages. HSPs are known to be highly observant, intuitive, thoughtful, compassionate, empathetic, conscientious, loyal, and creative. In fact, managers consistently rate people with higher sensitivity as their top contributors.
1. ESFJ. People who fit the ESFJ personality type can usually be recognized by their big hearts and kindly manner. ESFJs are warm and welcoming and their love of tradition means they value good old-fashioned manners highly.
The finding of the study showed that introvert, intuition, feeling and judging (INFJ) personality type were more emotionally intelligent than the extrovert, sensing, thinking and perceiving (ESTP) personality type.
Differences Between HSPs and ADHD
HSPs tend to think before they act, while people with ADHD tend to be a little more impulsive and can act before thinking things through. In calm environments, HSPs can be well-focused. Those with ADHD can have trouble focusing and may even appear bored in calm environments.
High sensitivity is thought to have genetic roots, and some specific gene variants have been associated with the trait. But early childhood environments may play a role as well; evidence suggests that early experiences may have an epigenetic effect on the genes associated with sensitivity.
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).
Your genes determine your basic sensitivity level, which means that if you are a highly sensitive person, you were likely born that way. However, in twin studies, identical twins with exactly the same genes can end up with different levels of sensitivity as adults — largely because of their life experiences.