Some people experience emotions more intensely than others. Ringing true for you? Here’s how to make it a superpower
‘You’re so sensitive’ is a statement that feels loaded with judgement. But if the past two years of stress, political unrest and routine upheaval have taught us anything, it’s that sensitivity could be exactly what the world needs more of right now.
In scientific terms, sensitivity is ‘the ability to perceive and process information about the environment, whether external or internal’, says Dr Michael Pluess, who is a researcher on the topic. Yep, it’s rooted in our biology – and beyond humans, it has been observed in hundreds of animal species. While the general conception of a sensitive person is someone whose feelings are easily hurt, those who have ‘high sensitivity’ are in fact experiencing something different. It’s an innate, Spidey sense that makes them feel, think and react more intensely than others.
Telltale qualities of a highly sensitive person (HSP)? Depth of processing (pondering and reflecting profoundly, especially on big topics), overstimulation (a predisposition to become tense, anxious or overwhelmed), empathy and emotional responsiveness (being greatly affected by the moods of others or by nature, art and the surroundings), and sensitivity to subtleties (an ability to pick up on nuances that others miss), according to Dr Elaine Aron, who pioneered research on HSPs and created this model for describing them. Basically, HSPs ‘have an emotional reaction to every little thing they notice, and think deeply about those feelings’, says therapist Alane Freund, a consultant on high sensitivity.
Turns out, certain parts of an HSP’s body work a little differently, too. First, research using MRI scans showed that parts of the brain associated with awareness, empathy and sensory-info processing respond more readily – and more strongly – to stimuli than those of the average person. And studies suggest that their nervous systems may be more reactive, too. For example, it’s been shown that individuals with higher physiological reactivity (changes that happen in your body when you’re stressed), such as a greater increase in heart rate, as well as production of the stress hormone cortisol, are more sensitive to environmental influences, Dr Pluess says. That would explain the aforementioned characteristics, then.
