Have you heard of the highly sensitive person?
A highly sensitive person, or HSP, picks up sensory info—like smells, sounds, and flavors—before non-sensitives can. That’s because HSPs have a finely tuned nervous system. The difference is a biological one, according to psychologists Dr. Carl Jung and Dr. Elaine Aron. So HSPs are born with the trait.
You know that lady at the office who gets sick when a coworker wears too much perfume? She’s probably a highly sensitive person. It may smell like only a hint of fragrance to a nonsensitive. But to the HSP, she may as well have bathed in it.
Brush a nonsensitive with a feather. He might feel it. But a highly sensitive person would feel the change on the air long before the feather touched her skin.
Twenty percent of the human population is highly sensitive. And the trait is equally divided among males and females.
Are You a Highly Sensitive Person?
Have you ever noticed a food’s nasty under flavor that no one else can taste? You might be a HSP.
Have you ever said “What is that smell?” but everyone else just shrugs? You might be a HSP.
Do you notice when the light changes? Can you detect a slight shift of temperature when no one else can? Does the drip of a leaky faucet keep you awake at night while everyone else is fast asleep? You might be a HSP.
Want to know for sure? Take the highly sensitive person test to find out.
Why It’s Great to Be a Highly Sensitive Person
HSPs are essential to human survival.
Imagine a tribe of prehistoric humans. Flea-bitten, exposed, and starving.
They hunt the Serengeti for water, but there’s none to be found. People drop to the ground. Those left standing are too tired to notice. The chief wheezes. Babies are too parched to cry. But someone cries out “look” and points into the trees where water has collected in the bowl-shaped leaves. The tribe is saved.
That guy who noticed the water? Probably a HSP.
HSPs are useful today too. And not just as chefs and perfumers. HSPs are highly calibrated machines. Tech designers, artists, inventors, and surgeons—everyone benefits from the HSP’s precision and observant nature.
But if they’re so great, why isn’t everyone a HSP?
The Down Side of Being a Highly Sensitive Person
Being a HSP is like having a super power. But with this superpower, you don’t need Kryptonite to bring you down. Because the good and bad of being a HSP is built right into the package. Ask any HSP. This super power comes at a cost.
Until they’re saving you from dehydration or fixing the unfixable problem, HSPs are kind of annoying to the general population. Hell, HSPs are kind of annoying to themselves.
They’re more likely to get anxiety. They can’t shop with friends in fumigated stores like Abercrombie & Fitch (Ugh, it reeks in there). They’re less likely to get a good night’s sleep when they’re the ones who need it most. And everyone calls them sensitive when they’re in sensory overload.
Thankfully, plenty of support exists for HSPs these days.
Highly Sensitive People Make the Best Writers and Artists
Want to be a writer? An artist? Chances are, if you’re a HSP you’ll probably be a great one. Why?
You know the subtle difference between similar shades of red. You know which one increases hunger and libido. You know which one invokes anger. That’s useful if you’re a painter.
You know that precise unit of pressure that transforms your lover’s face from pain to pleasure. You know what the light looks like on the trees in November. You detect subtle clues that reveal what people are feeling. That’s useful if you’re a writer.
Precision. Nuance. Empathy. This is your expertise. And these are the qualities that make great artists. Add a little purpose, some determination, and a few powerful writing skills to that equation, and nothing can stop you.
Many famous writers and artists are HSPs. Many more influencers and world-shakers are HSPs.
Being a HSP may have its downside. But it’s a glorious burden. Because some of the best people are HSPs
I really liked this article. I think that a lot of people are probably highly sensitive and don’t recoginze it for what it is. It is great that, by writing this, you may have given individuals insight into a trait within themselves that seemed strange to them and to others.
Very fascinating article. I checked off 16 of the items on the HSP test. I’ve always jumped at the littlest thing – especially when someone came up behind me and I didn’t know they were there. Also, perfume – ugg, I can detect it miles away. Good to know I’m not weird, but am blessed with extra senses to help with my writing.
Thanks for sharing!
Interesting article, thank you for posting on Pinterest. I’m an INTJ and this definitely fits me. I work in agriculture, almost entirely outdoors, so a large part of my job is attention to sensory details. Smells, sounds, temperature, etc. I’m also a writer. I love including all those nuances.
the test confirms that I am sensitive and the dentist I see on Thursday will swear to it. I marked 17 of the questions so….
This is an interesting blend of media–thanks for posting. TR
Great post, Mandy. It’s important to realize that HSP are all around us. The annoying, fussy student in our classrooms or the weird individual in a waiting room. Thanks. xoA
I enjoyed this article! I’ve always wondered why I am able to smell things WAY before anyone else or why certain noises irritate me more than they do other people. I also saw a link on Pinterest where you wanted to interview women with HSP who were also INTJ personality types and that’s me! Let me know if I can be of any help! 🙂
Thanks for writing about highly sensitive people.
Our nervous systems cause us to take in all the stimulus sround us whether physical like perfume and noise or moods and emotions. It is an energetic sensitivity which we then have to process because otherwise our systems necome bogged down. Taking everything in gives us our capacity for nuance, empathy and creative gifts.
I checked every box//
That’s the firs time I’ve heard of someone checking every box, Melinda. You’ve got it bad! Thank goodness Dr. Elaine Aron’s book is out there for us.
Me, too <3
This post was thought provoking. I am a female, INTJ and HSP. It is nice to think there are others like me.
I checked 26 boxes out of 27… I kind of feel like there’s not much hope for me, especially since I live in a big city. But I appreciated your article and the different perspective it brought me.
I forgot to mention I’m also an INTJ and feel that both these… predispositions… aren’t letting me go through life unscathed !
There’s lots of hope for you, Jacinthe. Read the book. It’ll help you reframe your perspective on your HSP characteristics in a way that’s positive and proactive. Believe me, I felt hopeless before I understood what HSP was and how to thrive with it. The book helped SO much.
Another helpful resource is Penelope Trunk. She’s a life/career coach who really gets MBTI and uses it to help people craft lifestyles that suit their personalities. I’m taking her course Make Money Selling Your Ideas right now, and just being around other people who see life the way you do is raising my confidence level. I already feel less weird and like there really is a way to thrive as an INTJ because here are all these other people struggling with the same things and making it work for them. Give her a shot too.
Hello fellow INTJ HSP! I’m stopping in via the SITS Saturday Sharefest. It’s so nice to find other women who are like me and understand the struggle. We’re such a rarity! I really enjoy your site so I’ve joined your mailing list.
I have a headache right now so this comment probably sounds forced and disjointed, but thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thoughtful and well-presented post about HSPs. It’s nice to meet you, Mandy.
Always nice to meet another INTJ/HSP writer, Nicole. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Thank you for writing highly sensitive people,I really like this article.