What are highly sensitive people good at?
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.
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.
A highly sensitive person (HSP) is a neurodivergent individual who is thought to have an increased or deeper central nervous system sensitivity to physical, emotional, or social stimuli. 1 Some refer to this as having sensory processing sensitivity, or SPS for short.
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.
Learn the 6 Sensitivity Types: Mental, Emotional, Physical, Chemical, Social & Energetic. If you're an empath, highly sensitive person, intuitive, creative… or simply feel things, emotionally and physically, more than others do, you may find that you tend to suffer more as well.
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.
The good news is that highly sensitive people aren't more or less emotionally intelligent than others. They just use emotional intelligence differently.
Because of their capacity to feel things on a deeper level, they can become easily offended by hurtful remarks made toward them or others. Highly Sensitive People quite often have a higher degree of empathy towards others, but this isn't necessarily always and only the case.
Due to traits of their personality, heightened empathy or childhood conditioning, many highly sensitive people have repressed anger, and do not know how to deal with their emotions healthily.
Highly sensitive people tend to be conscientious and empathetic and may notice subtle changes in their interactions and environment. Some benefits include: Social skills: HSPs tend to notice things others do not. Picking up on body language and other subtle cues may help them develop strong social skills.
What hurts a highly sensitive person?
Characteristics of Highly Sensitive People
Are easily overwhelmed by such things as bright lights, strong smells, coarse fabrics, or loud sirens. Feel stressed when they have a lot to accomplish in a short amount of time. Avoid violent movies and TV shows. Withdraw during busy days.
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.
Having a Highly Sensitive Nervous System means that our nervous system responds longer and more deeply to external stimuli. When faced with excessive physical, sensory, or emotional stimuli, a Highly Sensitive Nervous System will go into over-drive and turn on the fight-flight response.
Alternatively, a person who is sensitive in a temperamental way is usually defensive regarding threats to his or her ego. Hypervigilant about protecting his or her self-esteem, this person often, unconsciously, deflects accountability, and unfairly projects blame onto others to escape internal discomfort.
It is important to note that many highly sensitive people are not narcissistic. Highly sensitive people are often aware, empathetic, and excellent listeners, which are the antithesis of narcissism.
Trauma affects highly sensitive and intense people more intensely. Like any other of your reactions to stimuli, as a highly sensitive person (HSP) your trauma reactions are also more intense than most. As a result, many HSPs have used trauma splitting, or structural dissociation, as a way to cope.
- Sensitivity to lights and sounds.
- Sensitivity to caffeine and medications.
- Feelings of overwhelm in crowded places.
- Feeling more drained than others after spending time with people.
- Affected by the energy and moods of the people around them.
- Startle easily.
There are a lot of reasons for this since everything can be overwhelming for a highly sensitive person. Some reasons you might be tired include: absorbing people's emotions, exerting too much energy or focus, ignoring your own boundaries, holding back your authenticity, too little sleep, constantly being “on” and more.
Decision fatigue can affect anyone especially because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but highly sensitive people feel that exhaustion more intensely. There are things highly sensitive people can do to calm down their nervous system and make decisions without feeling overwhelmed.
A verbal safe haven: HSPs thrive in relationships where they feel seen, heard, and valued. Since highly sensitive people feel things more deeply than most, their feelings often get hurt more quickly than others'. HSPs thrive in relationships where they feel seen, heard, and valued.
Are all highly sensitive people gifted?
Giftedness is said to occur in 3% of the population, however, so even if most gifted people are highly sensitive, highly sensitive people are not always gifted since they are 20% of the population. Giftedness, too, seems to come in many forms so that I hesitate to categorize people as gifted or not gifted.
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.
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.
- Taking on intense emotions (that just won't quit) Like all humans, HSPs have emotions — and we really feel them. ...
- Taking things “too personally” Many HSPs are all-too-familiar with phrases like: ...
- System overload. ...
- Isolating ourselves from others.
And while sensitive people are highly intuitive, because they have such a strong sense of empathy, they can easily end up in toxic relationships more so than others.
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.
HSPs become overwhelmed when they have too much to accomplish – highly sensitive people struggle to stay to task when they are juggling many different things. Their anxiety level rises and, as their stress level increases, the have more difficulty being productive.
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.
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.
Emotional intelligence (EQ) is your ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself and others and your ability to use this awareness to manage your behavior and relationships. The good news is that highly sensitive people aren't more or less emotionally intelligent than others.
What triggers a highly sensitive person?
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.
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.