Too loud, too many impressions, too many people. High sensitivity is a phenomenon in which those affected react to stimuli more strongly than average. Research is still at its very beginning, but many of its findings help people to find their way around their surroundings better. The term “high sensitivity” does not describe an illness. It is rather a specific mixture of character traits. It is the result of heightened processing of stimuli. The autonomic nervous system of highly sensitive people filters less than that of people of average sensitivity.
Answer the 6 questions this article puts to you and you will be able to check your own level of sensitivity!
What is high sensitivity?
Highly sensitive people take in their surroundings on every level and with all their senses. This makes for very intense experience.
The range of possible expressions of heightened sensitivity is very wide. Almost any sensory impression can be perceived more strongly and therefore in more detail. This trait is often mistaken for plain nervousness and touchiness.
The heightened intake of stimuli and their deeper processing lead to character traits such as introversion and an intense experience of interpersonal relationships. There may also be strong reactions to medicines, alcohol and caffeine, vulnerability to stress, pressure and tension, and a constant shortage of time.
At present there is no recognised scientific theory. A hereditary predisposition is considered likely. The idea that this is a “mental disorder” or an “illness” is rejected. According to one explanation, the thalamus, a part of the diencephalon, classifies more stimuli as “important” in highly sensitive people, and these stimuli then reach consciousness.
How does high sensitivity show itself?
High sensitivity is marked by a particular kind of perception. These characteristics are more or less pronounced in highly sensitive people:
- A complex imagination and train of thought
- Strong inner awareness
- Detailed perception of the surroundings
- Difficulty coping with stress and pressure
- Great enthusiasm
- A high degree of personal responsibility and a striving for independence
- A high degree of compassion and empathy
- A strong sense of justice
- Detailed self-reflection and long-lasting emotional after-effects of an experience
- Difficulty with rigid systems of rules
- Perfectionism
- An intense experience of art and music
- A need for harmony
- Strong dependence on other people’s moods
Is high sensitivity innate, and can you get rid of it?
The prevailing assumption is that high sensitivity is inherited, that is, laid down in the genes. The complexity of the ways heightened sensitivity shows itself makes general statements difficult. Consciously rejecting one’s own personality traits, however, often leads to psychological and physical stress and to illnesses such as depression. Over the course of your life you can learn to handle your own character in the best possible way and to value it. High sensitivity also brings many advantages, both privately and professionally, see Question 5.
How do I know whether my child is highly sensitive?
With high sensitivity, different forms of behaviour often go hand in hand. The strong tactile awareness and sensitivity one notices in a child alternates with behaviour that is completely unsuited to the situation. The following points may be signs of highly sensitive children:
- Highly sensitive children reveal depth at an early stage, exploring what are known as the great human questions: “Why do I live?” “How is the universe made and what was there before it?”
- Particularly sensitive children are interested in the subject of “dying, death and what comes afterwards”.
- Children with high sensitivity have precise language skills.
- A readily felt, greater capacity for empathy is also an important indicator of highly sensitive children.
- Highly sensitive children often have a great gift of perception that goes beyond the generally accepted understanding of everyday life. Perceiving other people’s states in their own body, for example, or “reading” other people’s thoughts, can lead to complete overload.
- Sensory perceptions are very pronounced in highly sensitive children. Their taste and smell above all can be very keen. They are often considered very sensitive.
- Sensitivity to pain is heightened, as is the tendency to skin conditions and allergies.
It is very valuable when parents relate consciously to their child’s disposition.
How do I live with high sensitivity?
People with a very sensitive disposition are completely different from one another. Accordingly, there are no general statements about what helps highly sensitive people to live a full everyday life. The following points may help you to come to terms with the disposition:
- Consciously accepting your own disposition
- Keep up periods of rest
- Take care of your own body
The life of a highly sensitive person in today’s everyday world is of great value, but that value is hard to realise. This is precisely where a wonderful opportunity lies. There are many opportunities and, above all, many needs for bringing your own talent into our surroundings and into everyday working life as well as you possibly can.
A distinct feeling and perception of what is experienced, precision and reliability, a very good eye for detail, deep reflection and thinking in a wider context, as well as a high level of creativity, are important qualities that can also be put to use at work, especially in the creative industries.
How do you check whether you are a highly sensitive person?
According to Elaine Aron, the American pioneer of research into high sensitivity (HS), the tests she has developed can point to high sensitivity. Even if very few check points are scored, they take a pronounced form.
In the still relatively small body of literature on high sensitivity there are several tests that give you information about whether you can count yourself as part of a particular group. From the very start of the research there have been testing procedures whose questions follow from the criteria listed in the section “How does high sensitivity show itself?”
