Question 1

How to help a loved one who is a HSP?

Michael Pluess · Accepted Answer

Sensitivity is a common human trait and not a disorder or impairment. Hence, sensitive people don’t necessarily need special support or help. However, sensitive people are often especially receptive to social support, deep and meaningful conversations, close friendships, time to recover after busy periods, but also inspiring, engaging, or new experiences. Given that sensitive people tend to reflect deeply on their thoughts and feelings, the best way to support a sensitive person is to ask them about the kind of support that they would find most helpful.

Question 2

What is the most important psychiatric disorders that HSP presdisposes someone to?

Michael Pluess · Accepted Answer

Current knowledge on the relationship between sensitivity and psychiatric disorders is still limited. However, we know that sensitivity is associated with the common personality trait of Neuroticism (the tendency to experience the world as distressing, threatening, and unsafe) which has been found to predispose people for the development of psychiatric problems. According to several studies, sensitive people generally tend to experience more depression and anxiety symptoms. On the basis of these studies, being highly sensitive can increase the risk for the development of anxiety disorders and depressive disorders. However, whether a highly sensitive person develops a psychological disorders most likely depends on whether they had a negative or traumatic experience. In the absence of such an adverse experience, highly sensitive people are not necessarily at greater risk for the development of psychological problems compared to less sensitive people. For more information, please see https://sensitivityresearch.com/about-sensitivity/.

Question 3

Could you please define a 'Highly sensitive person' and if this impacts on psychological being, does a highly sensitive person also have increased intuition and kinaesthetic sensitivity? Thanks.

Michael Pluess · Accepted Answer

Sensitivity is a common human trait and reflects people’s capacity to perceive and process information about their environment and experiences they make. Sensitivity reflects a spectrum from low to high which means that all people are sensitive but some are more and some less. According to several studies, people can be categorised into three sensitivity groups: low, medium, and high. High sensitive people are generally more strongly affected by what they experience: They suffer more in the face of negative experiences but also benefit more from positive ones. It is possible that highly sensitive people also have higher intuition and kinaesthetic sensitivity but more research is needed in order to investigate the relationships between these concepts. For more information on sensitivity, please visit https://sensitivityresearch.com/about-sensitivity/.

Question 4

What can you do to help with being so highly sensitive?

Michael Pluess · Accepted Answer

Sensitivity is a common and normal human trait. It is not a psychological disorder or pathological condition. Most sensitive people live healthy and happy lives but some may experience aspects of their sensitivity as challenging. Given that sensitive people are strongly influenced by their environment, an important way to influence one’s well-being is to select a work and living environment that suits the individual level of sensitivity. Furthermore, it is often important for sensitive people to set clear boundaries in order to avoid overstimulation and make sure they frequently take time out to process their experiences and recharge.

Question 5

Is this trait shyness?

Michael Pluess · Accepted Answer

Sensitivity is not the same as shyness. Some sensitive people are shy whereas others are rather sociable and out-going. Just as some less sensitive people can be shy and others less so. Hence, sensitive people are not necessarily shy but their often more cautious and observing approach to new situations may sometime come across as “shyness”.

Question 6

Are HSP children often misperceived as "difficult"?

Michael Pluess · Accepted Answer

About 30-40% of children are highly sensitive. Sensitive children are sometimes perceived as “difficult” by their parents because they are more easily distracted and disturbed by noise and bright lights, are more fearful and anxious, and often need longer to get used to changes. However, whether these children show problematic behaviours depends also very much on the quality of their environment. If they grow up in an environment that suits them well, they are less likely to show problematic behaviours such as frequent resistance and disobedience. But in a less suitable environment, they tend to develop more problems than less sensitive children.

Question 7

Is HSP the same as being an empath?

Michael Pluess · Accepted Answer

While sensitivity is a well researched and accepted concept in the field of psychology, “empath” is not a scientific term and lacks both a solid theory and empirical evidence. However, according to research sensitive people often have a high degree of empathy and find it naturally easy to understand other people’s feelings and thoughts. Hence, while all people have some capacity for empathy, sensitive people tend to have higher empathy.

Question 8

Do HSP have more activity in mirror neurons?

Michael Pluess · Accepted Answer

I’m not aware of any research on mirror neurons and highly sensitive people. Generally, most of the research on mirror neurons has been conducted in animals and the evidence in humans is relatively sparse and still debated. Although it is conceivable that sensitive people may have more (or more active) mirror neurons than less sensitive people, there is currently no research that provides strong evidence for this hypothesis.

Question 9

Are children with the highly sensitive trait gifted?

Michael Pluess · Accepted Answer

Every child is sensitive but some are more sensitive than others. According to our research, about 30-40% of children can be considered highly sensitive. They are more sensitive in that they tend to be more perceptive and process information about their environment more deeply. Sensitivity has many benefits, such as a more pronounced empathy, intellectual interests and creativity. Some links have been found with intelligence as well. However, high sensitivity is not the same as being “gifted”. Although some highly sensitive children may be “gifted”, most highly sensitive children will not differ substantially from less sensitive children regarding their intelligence. However, more research is needed to explore giftedness among highly sensitive children.

Question 10

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