What is a highly sensitive person? You might have heard the term thrown around or maybe even identify with some of its characteristics. Perhaps you’ve been called “too sensitive” one too many times. Well, there’s actually a fascinating explanation for why some individuals experience the world a bit differently.

The concept of the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) emerged in 1996 thanks to the work of psychologist Elaine Aron, who proposed that some individuals possess a deeper central nervous system that makes them deeply attuned to their surroundings.

Instead of brushing it off as mere oversensitivity, Aron recognized a distinct personality trait. This trait, known as sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), affects around 15-20% of the population, prompting those who resonate with the description to seek a deeper understanding of their sensitivities.

Defining Sensory Processing Sensitivity

While often misunderstood, sensory processing sensitivity, or being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), is not a disorder but an evolved personality trait. People with this trait tend to process information deeply, absorbing and reflecting upon subtleties that others often miss.

They’re highly attuned to their environment, noticing subtle shifts in mood, sound, or visuals, leading to a rich but sometimes overwhelming experience.

Understanding HSP Traits

A Highly Sensitive Person often exhibits some common characteristics:

• Intense Emotional Responses: HSPs often feel emotions deeply and intensely, both joy and sorrow. This emotional depth extends to empathy, feeling the happiness and pain of others acutely.
• Sensory Overload: Loud music, bright lights, or strong scents can overwhelm HSPs, leading to the need for a quiet room to recover. This sensory sensitivity sometimes makes crowded places, busy schedules, and even scratchy clothing overwhelming.
• Deep Processing: HSPs are known for thinking deeply and reflecting on information. They analyze situations from different angles and notice nuances, which, while enriching their inner world, may lead to them needing more time to process their thoughts and feelings.
• Sensitivity to Criticism: HSPs, because they process information deeply and personally, can be easily hurt by criticism or negative feedback. Even constructive criticism can sometimes sting, demanding a gentle approach from those interacting with them.

Living as a Highly Sensitive Person

Being a Highly Sensitive Person presents a unique set of challenges, but there is also beauty in experiencing the world with such depth. Think of it as a spectrum, not a black-or-white distinction, where each person falls somewhere along the scale of sensitivity. Some common examples include:

• A parent who intuitively understands their child’s unspoken needs, simply through subtle cues and body language.
• An individual moved to tears by a piece of art, deeply touched by the beauty and creativity it embodies.
• An employee overwhelmed in a chaotic work environment, needing quiet time to refocus and regain their composure to perform their best.

These examples are only a glimpse into how sensitivity affects people’s day-to-day life.

The good news is a 2014 study by psychologists Elaine Aron and Arthur Aron revealed fascinating insights into the brains of HSPs. The study found increased responsiveness in regions associated with awareness, empathy, and sensory processing, confirming what Elaine Aron suspected.

Raising a Highly Sensitive Child

Being a parent of an HSP comes with unique considerations. While challenging at times, understanding what a highly sensitive person is is key to helping both you and your child navigate a world that often seems overwhelming. Creating a supportive environment involves a few key approaches:

• Creating a Calming Environment: Designate a quiet space at home where they can retreat for sensory breaks. Minimizing excessive noise, harsh lights, and strong scents can help prevent sensory overload.
• Validating Their Feelings: Help them understand that their feelings are real and valid. Teach them how to express their emotions healthily, giving them tools for self-regulation as they grow.
• Positive Reinforcement: Encourage their strengths and passions, noticing and celebrating their achievements, however small. This fosters self-esteem and resilience in a world that can feel too much for them.
• Gentle Discipline: Opt for understanding and guidance over punishment when they make a mistake. Remember that they feel things intensely, and a compassionate approach to discipline will resonate more profoundly.

Patience and understanding go a long way in fostering a healthy self-image in a highly sensitive child, giving them the confidence to navigate the world around them.

FAQs about What is a Highly Sensitive Person

What are the characteristics of a highly sensitive person?

A highly sensitive person (HSP) tends to have heightened awareness and responses to sensory stimuli, emotional experiences, and subtle environmental cues. They often experience sensory overload, deep empathy, a need for downtime, and sensitivity to criticism. Highly sensitive people tend to be more aware of subtleties in their environment.

Is HSP a personality disorder?

No. It’s important to clarify that HSP is not a disorder. It’s considered a personality trait, a variation in temperament just as being introverted or extroverted. While there may be challenges associated with HSP, it’s not classified as a mental health disorder or a clinical diagnosis.

What triggers a highly sensitive person?

Triggers vary, but common ones include excessive noise, crowds, bright lights, strong scents, violent movies in media, and stressful situations. Emotional triggers include criticism, feeling overwhelmed with tasks, or witnessing another person’s distress, particularly if they’re empathic by nature. Many find that paying attention to what their body is telling them is helpful to determine their triggers.

What hurts a highly sensitive person?

HSPs are often deeply hurt by harsh criticism, social rejection, and conflict. Since they process information deeply, words and actions, especially negative ones, may leave a lasting impact. Feeling misunderstood, dismissed, or ignored can be painful as well. This is why it is important to be mindful that highly sensitive people may need to find ways to cope with daily stressors differently than the average person.

Conclusion

Understanding what is a highly sensitive person paves the way for a more compassionate approach, both towards oneself and others. Instead of seeing high sensitivity as a weakness, we can begin to view it as a different lens, a unique way of perceiving and interacting with the world. It involves increased responsiveness to environmental and social stimuli.

Remember, being an HSP is not about being weak, fragile, or overly emotional. Instead, it represents a distinct neurological and emotional makeup, characterized by deeper processing of information, heightened empathy, and a unique awareness of subtleties that others often miss. Many people who identify as an HSP have found that once they understood what it meant to be a highly sensitive person, it had a positive impact on their life.