Nicole Kidman, Kanye West, and Alanis Morisette are among the many who identify as an HSP. “When I read her book for the first time, I just couldn't stop weeping. It was self-recognition after recognition.
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.”
The good news is that highly sensitive people aren't more or less emotionally intelligent than others. They just use emotional intelligence differently.
The positive traits of people that are highly sensitive include emotional awareness, empathy for others, the ability to pick up on small cues that others miss, dedication to fairness and justice, passionate and innovative thinking, and an ability to demonstrate good leadership through valuing others.
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.
Living with High Sensitivity
HSPs may struggle to adapt to new circumstances, may demonstrate seemingly inappropriate emotional responses in social situations, and may easily become uncomfortable in response to light, sound, or certain physical sensations.
There are indeed links between the two, but also certainly some differences. In 2015, clinical psychologist Elke van Hoof did research on high sensitivity and looked at a possible link with giftedness. She discovered that 87% of gifted people are also highly sensitive.
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.
Gifted people are usually also highly sensitive and intense. They are more aware of subtleties; their brain processes information and reflects on it more deeply. At their best, they can be exceptionally perceptive, intuitive, and keenly observant of the subtleties of the environment.
It is believed that HSPs are not rare, and that about 15-20% of the population are thought to be an HSP. There are also thought to be no significant differences in sex, with equal numbers of males and females being an HSP. Being an HSP is an innate trait, with biologists finding high sensitivity in over 100 species.
Nicole Kidman, Kanye West, and Alanis Morisette are among the many who identify as an HSP.
Sleep is crucial for HSPs, so make sure its highly quality and your night-time sleep is long. 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.
In fact, the leading expert on sensitivity, clinical psychologist Elaine Aron, PhD, reported, in her original research in 1997, that 70 percent of highly sensitive people are also socially introverted, says Dr.
Being highly sensitive to the world does not necessarily indicate narcissism, but those who perceive themselves as especially fragile due to their personality paired with an attitude that discomfort must be avoided at all times can be prone to show aspects of hypersensitive narcissism and a sense of entitlement to ...
There's good news if you are a highly sensitive parent – you usually make very good parents. You might be more sensitive to things 4. But it also means that you recognize what makes your child special and unique. You can sense your child's needs and respond quickly.
Healthy HSP friendships deeply support each other, using listening as a two-way street. HSPs often put others' needs above their own, doing whatever they can to help a friend feel better. A highly sensitive person needs friends who appreciate their care, won't abuse it, and are happy to reciprocate.
While there is certainly a major overlap in sensory processing experiences of both autistic and highly sensitive individuals, specifically sensitivity to sensory information, this does not mean they are the same thing.
We found that the more sensitive individuals showed stronger resting-state brain connectivity indicative of greater memory and higher-order deliberative processing. This study advances our understanding of the highly sensitive brain's central features.
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.
Serotonin Transporter and Highly Sensitive People:
HSPs have a variant of this gene (officially called 5-HTTLPR). The 5-HTTLPR gene variant increases sensitivity to surroundings and is associated with learning from experience. The presence of the gene enhances the effects of both good and adverse childhood experiences.
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.
HSP isn't a disorder or a condition, but rather a personality trait that's also known as sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS).