Highly Sensitive Person (HSP): Definition, Signs, & Strengths

Highly sensitive persons (HSP) are ultra-aware of sensory input, other people, and their environment. Heightened sensitivity is a personality trait often resulting in increased conscientiousness, meticulousness, and empathy. For some, seeking mental health support can help HSPs develop coping skills, maintain appropriate boundaries, navigate relationships, and build strengths.

What Causes High Sensitivity?

Experts are unsure what exactly causes emotional hypersensitivity. Highly sensitive traits may be hereditary or coincide with other characteristics, including introversion. With that said, high sensitivity likely comes from various factors, including environment, genetic predisposition, early childhood experiences, and individual temperament.²

Possible causes of high sensitivity include:

• Genetic factors: Genetics may correlate with high sensitivity. Research has shown that HSPs may respond differently to dopamine receptors.
• Lack of parental warmth: Research also shows that parental warmth is essential for personality development. Feeling unloved or neglected by early caregivers may be associated with a higher likelihood of sensitivity.
• Childhood trauma: Childhood trauma can fundamentally impact how people respond to themselves and the world. These experiences may correlate with high sensitivity.

Benefits of Being an HSP

Heightened sensitivity is not bad, and many HSPs appreciate their complex and compassionate personalities. The highly sensitive person feels their emotions deeply, and they appreciate the beauty in their relationships and the world. They pay close attention to detail and can soak in the creative joys of engaging in their passions.

Below are possible strengths of HSPs:

• High levels of empathy: HSPs are often very understanding and nurturing and strive to connect with loved ones.
• Experiencing pleasure: HSPs are more sensitive to pain, which paradoxically means also being more sensitive to enjoying pleasure.
• More creativity: Sensitive people can tap into their inner world and perceptive skills to channel greater creativity.
• Improved self-care: Many HSPs are deeply attuned to their own feelings and needs, which means they may be more apt to practice self-care when overwhelmed or tired.
• Strong intuition: HSPs have excellent decision-making skills, allowing them to hone in their environments with increased intuition.

Potential Challenges For HSPs

Highly sensitive persons possess many valuable traits. However, being an HSP also comes with challenges, such as being easily stressed, overstimulated, or self-loathing.

Potential challenges of being an HSP include:

• Being easily stressed by conflict: HSPs usually shy from overwhelming stimuli like stressful conflicts or confrontations. They may avoid conflict altogether, sometimes leaving them constantly keeping the peace and limiting self-expression.
• Being unable to avoid overstimulation: We only have so much control over our environment. Americans favor “bigger,” “louder,” and “brighter” things, and this can overwhelm HSPs. You may feel as though you are “high-maintenance.” Advocating for yourself can seem challenging or even embarrassing, especially as a people-pleaser.
• Comparing yourself to others: HSPs may feel frustrated that others appear more resilient or “go with the flow.” They might feel inadequate as a result of this comparison.
• Low toleration threshold: HSPs struggle with pain and difficult emotions. They often have a weaker tolerance for life’s ebbs and flows because they feel physical and emotional sensations deeply.
• Intense self-criticism: Sensitivity may go hand-in-hand with greater self-loathing, especially if family members or others criticize their sensitivity.

Similar HSP Conditions & Traits

HSP characteristics sometimes mirror symptoms of other conditions. Some symptoms will overlap, whereas others will have slight and subtle differences. Understanding these similarities and differences can aid in receiving a specific diagnosis or seeking a formal assessment.

Below are conditions and traits similar to high sensitivity:

• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): HSP may be mistaken for ADHD because people with both conditions experience heightened reactivity when overstimulated. However, someone with ADHD has marked concentration and focus difficulties, whereas an HSP does not.
• Autism: HSP can be mistaken for autism, but autistic people tend to be either hypersensitive or hyposensitive to their external environment. They also have social difficulties and rigid behaviors that transcend sensitivity.
• Introversion: Introverts may feel overwhelmed by high levels of stimulation, but sensitivity is exclusive to social settings. An HSP experiences sensitivity across various situations.
• Sensory processing disorder (SPD): HSPs experience heightened sensory experiences, whereas someone with SPD often consistently struggles with sensitive triggers that affect their ability to function in daily life. Someone with SPD may have trouble executing specific tasks.

How to Thrive as an HSP

High sensitivity can be a superpower. HSPs enjoy a deeper sense of meaning and fulfillment with themselves and others, even though they live in societies that do not always embrace these traits. They know when to slow down and ensure their environment feels safe.

Below are ways to cope as a highly sensitive person:

Own Your Identity as an HSP

Recognizing high sensitivity as a personality trait is key to thriving as an HSP. Part of this is acknowledging that being highly sensitive does not mean anything is wrong with you. Heightened sensitivity is just a part of your identity.

Learn How You Express Sensitivity

While many general qualities and traits are associated with being an HSP, your experience is unique. For example, you may have an incredible sense of hearing, while another HSP is more affected by smells. Learning more about yourself can help cultivate your identity as an HSP.

Engage in Contemplative Practice

Whether through mindfulness, meditation, or body scans, creating a contemplative practice as an HSP is essential. These practices provide opportunities to check in with your body and learn more about your experience. You can use this awareness to make choices best suited for you.

Turn Toward Feelings of Discomfort

Many HSPs often avoid the discomfort of negative or activating emotions. However, avoidance behavior creates a depleting cycle. Learning to embrace and reframe discomfort as part of your experience can help you process these feelings and create space for joyful emotions.

Connect With Others

Engaging with people who are or understand HSPs can be validating, further cultivating your resilience. Connecting with other HSPs, joining support groups, or working with a therapist specializing in high sensitivity can be great avenues to explore.

Draw on Your Strengths

Many HSPs have deep experiences with art, music, and nature. This appreciation for nuance and imagination can be important coping mechanisms. They can also act as assets in building resilience.

Learn How to Say No

Establishing reasonable and healthy boundaries for yourself is important as an HSP. HSPs can become quickly overstimulated, so consider where you need to implement limits. What draining activities can you avoid or potentially eliminate? Which situations leave you feeling poorly? Answering these questions can help you determine where and when to enact boundaries.

Take Time for Yourself

HSPs thrive when they can relish in solitude. Spending time alone differs from isolation, particularly when caring for your needs. Self-care comes in many forms but can include engaging in enjoyable hobbies, being physically active, journaling, or simply getting some rest. These activities help you build a better relationship with yourself.

Consider What You’re Thankful For

Occasional frustration with your HSP traits is normal. Consider pausing and reflecting on your appreciation when stuck in a downward spiral. Where can you find gratitude? What’s going well in your life? Consider implementing a daily gratitude practice to acknowledge the best parts of your day each night.

When to Seek Professional Help

Sometimes high sensitivity results in mental health problems, including depression and anxiety disorders. HSP traits can also coincide with compulsive issues such as substance use, disordered eating, or problematic sexual behaviors.

Consider seeking professional support if you struggle with your sensitivity. A therapist can help you better understand your emotional triggers and teach you adaptive ways to cope with your distress. You can find and choose a therapist, counselor, or psychologist in an online therapist directory.

Final Thoughts

You are not alone in being unsure how to utilize your potential as an HSP. Talking to a therapist, trusted friend, or family member can be beneficial. Consider seeking professional support if you struggle to cope as an HSP.

Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) Infographics