Have you been called “too sensitive”? You might be an HSP.
I can’t begin to tell you how much I’ve appreciated discovering that I’m a Highly Sensitive Person as defined by psychologist Elaine Aaron. There can be so much stigma in our world about being a feeling person. It turns out, being an HSP is a collective evolutionary advantage and not a flaw. 🤍
In this article, we’ll dive into a few test questions so you can tell whether you’re likely to be an HSP, define what being an HSP is like, and talk about where it comes from.
How do I know if I’m a highly sensitive person?
It’s likely you’ve know since you were a kiddo. Being an HSP can be lonely and overwhelming. Processing and feeling everything so deeply means that you were probably the child with nightmares, big questions, anxiety, overwhelm, and just generally a more intense response to life and changes.
The HSP is often highly reflective, high in empathy, very observant, a deep thinker and feeler, creative, imaginative, and easily overwhelmed by sensory factors like light, noise, crowds, pain, and so on. We’re the first to sense weather changes, hear faint noises, and notice things others don’t on both an emotional and physical level.
Test yourself right now:
I am easily overwhelmed by strong sensory input.
I seem to be aware of subtleties in my environment.
Other people’s moods affect me.
I tend to be very sensitive to pain.
I find myself needing to withdraw during busy days into bed or into a darkened room or any place where I can have some privacy and relief from stimulation.
I am particularly sensitive to the effects of caffeine.
I am easily overwhelmed by things like bright lights, strong smells, coarse fabrics, or sirens close by.
I have a rich, complex inner life.
I am made uncomfortable by loud noises.
I am deeply moved by the arts or music.
My nervous system sometimes feels so frazzled that I just have to go off by myself.
I am conscientious.
I startle easily.
I get rattled when I have a lot to do in a short amount of time.
When people are uncomfortable in a physical environment I tend to know what needs to be done to make it more comfortable (like changing the lighting or the seating).
I am annoyed when people try to get me to do too many things at once.
I try hard to avoid making mistakes or forgetting things.
I make a point to avoid violent movies and TV shows.
I become unpleasantly aroused when a lot is going on around me.
Being very hungry creates a strong reaction in me disrupting my concentration or mood.
Changes in my life shake me up.
I notice and enjoy delicate or fine scents, tastes, sounds, works of art.
I find it unpleasant to have a lot going on at once.
I make it a high priority to arrange my life to avoid upsetting or overwhelming situations.
I am bothered by intense stimuli, like loud noises or chaotic scenes.
When I must compete or be observed while performing a task, I become so nervous or shaky that I do much worse than I would otherwise.
When I was a child, my parents or teachers seemed to see me as sensitive or shy.
Is sensitivity a weakness?
Nope! It’s a trait that comes with pros and cons like any other. Despite unfair notions you may have been raised with or may have understood about sensitivity from society (especially if you’re a man) – the ability to be sensitive has allowed us to collectively survive as a species.
Where does it come from?
Great question. About 15-20% of us are highly sensitive people or HSPs, designed for deep perception and attentiveness. We’re the more conscientious, risk-averse, over-thinkers and over-feelers, meant to offset the impulsivity and future errors of the rest of the population.
But importantly, being an HSP is also linked to a trait called sensory processing sensitivity (SPS). From micro expressions, to faint smells, tastes or sounds, we can even feel pain when others wouldn’t.
In effect, we have a lower threshold for processing external and internal stimuli, like light, noise, textures, or our own and others’ emotions. And because we feel more deeply, both physically and emotionally, this can lead to overstimulation that a good chunk of the population doesn’t experience.
You’ll probably relate to the overwhelm, anxiety, depression, and generally strong emotional reactions that come with being an HSP. I really recommend the book The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aaron to find out more.
Being sensitive is nature ensuring our survival
Those of us with HSP powers are the ones in the herd or pack so to speak who notice every change. We’re the ones that can tell when a leaf twitches or a blade of grass moves, and warn the rest of a group that a life threatening event may be about to happen.
We’re supposed to be more observant, react more strongly, and think more deeply so as to offset the majority of the population who are fast to take what they want, i.e. more aggressive and impulsive, but who spend less time thinking and reflecting.
This makes them more prone to risks, less likely to learn from situations, and in short, more likely to die. However, nature has made sure that the proportion of us in the wider population is set as it is because we can’t have everyone being an HSP just as we can’t have everyone being an impulsive doer.
The trait exists in over one hundred species (Wolf et al, 2008), from fruit flies and fish to dogs and primates, and is linked to a deeper processing of the world.