Insights Into the Mind of a Highly Sensitive Person

Can you read the mood of a room on entering it and the more people in that room the more tiring you find it?

Do you find continuous loud noises can overwhelm you? Are you deeply moved by works of Art and very affected by depictions of violence on TV?

Can you sense your heartbeat just by focusing on it? Are you extremely affected by hunger and caffeine? Do you empathise with others so strongly it can hurt?

No, I’m not searching for a superhuman or a future star of The Undateables; but one of the 15–20% of us who are, as leader in the field Dr Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D. terms, a highly sensitive person (HSP) which is referred to in the research as ‘sensory-processing sensitivity’.HSPs nervous system processes sensory information differently, making them more sensitive to their environment.

I became intrigued by this niche area of personality psychology and neuroscience after finding the term in the bestselling book ‘Quiet: The Power of Introversion’ by Susan Cain. What I and millions of other people gained from her insights was a feeling of affirmation.

Introverts and highly sensitive people share characteristics, such as needing time alone to recharge. And like us introverts, HSPs don’t necessarily come across as you would expect. Although there are plenty of personal accounts of HSPs whose ideal environment is working from home with their cat, the research tells us that contrary to stereotypes, HSPs are not necessarily going to cry on you inappropriately, don’t inevitably struggle with public speaking or are even that shy.

The difference between introverts and HSPs is that highly sensitive people are more sensitive to the world around them (both physical surroundings and emotions), whereas introverts feel drained by socializing.

Environmental and social sensitivity is a continuous and normally distributed trait along which people fall into groups along a continuum.Researchers investigating HSPs measure ‘sensory-processing sensitivity’ which is seen at one extreme of the continuum. It is a stable trait that is characterized by greater empathy, awareness, responsivity and depth of cognitive processing to significant stimuli. HSP is too common to be seen as a pathology and would more accurately be described an uncommon trait.

“The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive. To him… a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death.”

-Pearl S. Buck

Here I explore five insights from the world of neuroscience:

1.Highly sensitive people have been found to have more activity in their mirror neurons. If you haven’t heard of these, they are clever antenna-like neurons we all have that allow us to empathise and imitate behaviour of others. They activate not only when you do something but when you see someone else do the same action, which is very helpful for little humans learning to speak and forming attachments to keep us safe.

HSPs have high amounts of these neurons making them particularly good at forming close bonds with people and learning new languages. A high number of mirror neurons also increases the ‘emotional contagion’ felt by HSPs and are thought to play a big part in their ability to sense how those around them are feeling without needing to be told. Clearly this is a skill in some jobs and a challenge in others. One study has shown this super power is mentally exhausting explaining why HSPs tend to focus their attention on a small circle of people and work on those relationships intensely. So when you’re considered dear to an HSP, you’ll know about it.

2.Sensory processing sensitivity (measured in functional imaging studies) is one evolutionary strategy for survival of the species! It’s clear that the more sensitive people are to their environments, the more likely they are to spot opportunities for food, mates, social advantages and threats, therefore being readier to respond to situations as they emerge.

On the other hand, an oft-trotted out truth is that our archaic brain structure has not adapted to modern threats, leading some people to suffer with a limbic system that responds to a car horn as if it was a woolly mammoth.

It would be easy to assume an HSP who is sensitive to threats would have an over-active amygdala and limbic system with all the anxiety and physical stress symptoms that go with it. But you would be mistaken.

Studies of brain imaging show that when HSPs are faced with highly stimulating material the areas of the brain that light up like a Christmas tree are the areas that involve heightened awareness. This explains their ability to focus attention in order to put in place action-planning by deep processing and scenario building. This would make an HSP more ready to respond to complex emerging situations, all this with no evidence of HSPs activating the amygdala.

This often translates in the modern world as a preference for focusing on one task completely rather than juggling many projects, and a need to be able to plan and control upcoming changes as much as possible.

3.There is no denying that higher sensitivity can leave people open to more difficulties in certain circumstances. However, there has been a huge bias towards studying dysfunctional outcomes as research has been primarily done by researchers in the field of mental health whose very raison d’être revolves around disposition to vulnerabilities.

The Dandelion-Orchid hypothesis, or neuroplasticity hypothesis, adds that there is an upside to sensitivity rather than just a down.

The theory uses a flower metaphor to describe how sensitive people, like Orchids, are genetically programmed in a such a way that they need the right environment to flourish. More so than the majority of us who have genes akin to a Dandelion, hardy and pretty much ok wherever we land.

This difference has to do with neuroplasticity- the brains desirable ability to re-organise itself around injury and in response to situations or environment. HSPs have this in bucket loads. When placed in the right conditions, HSPs are likely to flourish to the extent that they surpass those around them.

This neuroplasticity also means more than most people, HSPs experience great benefits from (good) counselling and mindfulness meditation.

4.In evolutionary terms, having a mix of Orchids and Dandelions in your family/tribe/workplace is best for survival. Diversity of perception and behavior has continued to be genetically pertinent in our fast-changing world. Together the stability of the Dandelions and the mercurial Orchids offer adaptions that we would not see had natural selection favoured the averagely sensitive.

“You were born to be among the advisors and thinkers, the spiritual and moral leaders for your society. There is every reason for pride.”

―Dr Elaine N. Aron

5.As psychologist Dr Elaine Aron puts it; ‘I know ALL HSPs are creative, by definition.’ There is no measure for creativity but amongst artists and other creatives the percentage of HSPs is much higher than the general population, perhaps inspired by deep processing with a rich imagination built for seeing complexity and reflecting deeply. Whether it is processing emotions through poetry or switching off from deep thinking in detailed drawings; with the world bombarding the HSP with a wealth of stimulation fit to bursting, a creative outlet can be the pressure valve.

As I said at the top of this article, Cain’s book on introversion gave me insight and appreciation for an aspect of my personality. She also gives some valuable advice which I will attempt to do now for highly sensitive people.

Careful who you surround yourself with, do not allow others to pathologize your personality, in times of trouble wield your neuroplasticity like a tool in your armory. Create something, anything, even if no-one else will see it and lastly, next time someone calls you ‘too sensitive’ remember that science says they can literally never know how good being an HSP can make you feel.

Photo by Brandon Lopez on Unsplash