Published By: Ishani Karmakar

Pros And Cons Of Being A Highly Sensitive Person

Highly sensitive individuals, or HSPs as they are commonly referred to, are not the polar opposite of insensitive people, despite popular belief.

It's not as if the HSPs are "all sugar and spice and all things nice" and the latter is obviously undesired. Twenty percent of the population has a characteristic called high sensitivity, which is more than just a psychiatric condition. Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have shown that HSPs' brains react more strongly to emotional inputs.

What characteristics define someone as very sensitive?

HSPs share certain characteristics:

They avoid noisy and crowded places like concerts, sporting events, fireworks displays, and shopping malls. High-sensitivity individuals (HSPs) often need some alone time at the end of the day.

They are terrible at juggling several tasks at once.

A high-sensitivity person is less effective when under pressure to do many activities simultaneously.

They do better in secluded cubicles.

Working in an open office setting with a lot of noise and people can be overwhelming for highly sensitive people, and close monitoring from an overbearing superior can have the same effect.

They put others at ease and show compassion and empathy because they are emotionally attuned.

They carefully pick their words and deeds so as not to offend others.

Likewise, they take offence to what they perceive to be criticism.

Art, music, and nature inspire them, and they enjoy seeing originality in things like clothing and cuisine.

As a result of the anxiety they bring on, they avoid watching violent media.

The same is true of their interactions with other people: they shy away from conflict.

They are full of depth on the inside.

Self-sufficiency is a source of happiness for HSPs.

They gain empathy for others via introspection and analysis of their own experiences.

They don't like chitchat that doesn't go somewhere.

They may think up all kinds of unique solutions to problems.

Consequences of Being Highly Sensitive

Negatives

They can be so intense that a person whose nervous system is more sensitive to stress can feel anxious and on edge all the time.

The difficulty comes from learning to rein in destructive feelings and replace them with logic and objective.

Positives

They tend to be more considerate people generally. A highly sensitive individual may pick up on the smallest of cues from the actions of those around them. When they sense someone is uneasy, they immediately take action to put them at rest.

Their imaginations are wider

People who are very sensitive respond strongly to stimuli and have vivid imaginations. Many persons in the visual arts, literary world, music industry, and the performing arts have the rare ability to move audiences with their work because they are exceptionally sensitive and imaginative.

They are excellent communicators

Highly sensitive persons have excellent empathy and can read the meaning behind not just words but also body language and tone of voice. This level of empathy fosters a freer flow of ideas and opinions.