What is a highly sensitive person?
A highly sensitive person (HSP) is more aware of social stimuli, such as other people’s voices and facial expressions. They may be particularly empathetic but also more prone to overstimulation.
Psychologist Elaine Aron developed the concept of highly sensitive persons (HSPs) to describe those who display notable sensitivity to various forms of stimuli. Aron estimates roughly 15–20% of the population is highly sensitive.
Researchers often use the term “sensory processing sensitivity” to characterize the experiences of HSPs. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) does not list sensory processing sensitivity as a diagnosis. It does includeTrusted Source sensory processing disorder, which some HSPs may also experience.
Aron and other researchers treat sensory processing sensitivity not as an illness or diagnosis but as an evolved personality trait that can be adaptive in some circumstances. For example, highly sensitive people may notice signs of danger that others miss and may pick up on more subtle social cues.
Keep reading to learn more, including the signs and everyday challenges of being a highly sensitive person, as well as the benefits.
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A person with sensory processing sensitivityTrusted Source is highly sensitive to their environment. Sights, sounds, smells, and other forms of sensory input may cause a heightened experience for HSPs. A sound that is barely perceptible to most people may be very noticeable, and possibly even painful, to an HSP.
There’s more to being a highly sensitive person than just being sensitive to stimuli. Other characteristics includeTrusted Source:
- processing environmental stimuli more deeply
- being more emotionally reactive to behavioral inhibition
- being more physiologically reactive to behavioral inhibition
- having stronger unconscious nervous system activity in stressful situations
- having stronger emotional responses (both positive and negative)
- being strongly perceptive of subtle differences
- having a low tolerance to high levels of sensory input
- having a low pain threshold
Being a highly sensitive person can be stressfulTrusted Source and can cause anxiety or relationship challenges. However, there are also benefits to being highly sensitive, especially in the right environment or with support. Some advantages include having a rich inner life and showing increased empathy. Being highly sensitive can also offer strengths in relationships and depth in processing information.
As noted earlier, being an HSP is not a diagnosis but a personality trait or temperamental disposition that offers both benefits and challenges.
Some signsTrusted Source of high sensitivity include:
- Low threshold for sensory awareness: HSPs may notice and experience sensory stimuli more strongly than others. For instance, loud noises and chaotic stimuli are likely to have a greater impact on HSPs.
- Overstimulation: HSPs may become easily overstimulated and overwhelmed by their surroundings.
- Personality and temperament: HSPs may seem introverted or very emotionally sensitive. This may also be because their environments are stimulating, and they feel overwhelmed by it.
- Empathy: An HSP may find that others’ moods strongly affect them, or they notice subtle social cues others do not.
- Pain sensitivity: HSPs are often more sensitive to pain or touch.
- Withdrawal: HSPs who live in an environment that is not ideal may withdraw more or need more alone time to cope.
Popular media and anecdotal sources often focus on claims that people are more sensitive now than in the past. These claims typically revolve around the notion that the term HSP is a new concept, and people have only recently become interested in supporting those who are notably sensitive.
Aron and other researchers argue that sensory processing sensitivity is not a new trait. Instead, they found a heritable trait that may have evolutionary advantages.
There is no scientific evidence that people are more sensitive today than they were in the past. Instead, institutions and individuals may be more willing to acknowledge and make accommodations for those with different needs, including high sensitivity.
In a 2014 studyTrusted Source, researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scans to measure the brain activity of HSPs. The study found increased brain activation in regions associated with awareness, empathy, attention, and action planning.
To cope with being an HSP, it is important for a person to first identify their major areas of sensitivity. For example, some people are more sensitive to sensory input, while others find certain kinds of social interactions overwhelming.
Some strategies that may help include:
- using personal devices, such as sunglasses, earplugs, and noise-canceling headphones, to minimize sensory input
- considering how clothing might contribute to sensory overload, then choosing items without tags, seams, or other types of sensory input
- setting up at least one area of the house to be low stimulation, such as a dark, quiet room
- advocating for accommodations at work or school and building them into daily life as needed
- seeking psychotherapy
Learn more about different types of therapy here.
Highly sensitive people tend to be conscientious and empathetic and may notice subtle changes in their interactions and environment.
Some benefits include:
- Social skills: HSPs tend to notice things others do not. Picking up on body language and other subtle cues may help them develop strong social skills.
- Empathy: Highly sensitive people tend to be more sensitive to others’ emotions and moods. This may offer them more insight into other people. It can also help them detect others’ motives and inclinations, potentially making them good managers, negotiators, and leaders.
- Sensitivity to the environment: Highly sensitive people may notice environmental cues others do not. In the right setting, this can help them detect danger.
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Being a highly sensitive person is not a diagnosis or a medical condition and does not require treatment. However, HSPs may find relief from this label for their experiences. They may receive meaningful support from therapy and resources or books about HSP.
Some key traits of HSPs include deeper processing of emotional stimuli and a lower tolerance to sensory input.
The right environment can make being highly sensitive more manageable. With less sensory input, HSPs may not feel as overwhelmed. This may empower them to work toward positive outcomes, such as by using their empathy to better understand people and foster meaningful relationships.
While the concept of the HSP is relatively new, HSPs are not. As research continues, experts may identify new ways of supporting HSPs. They may also identify the environmental, genetic, and developmental factors that contribute to high sensitivity.
Last medically reviewed on February 11, 2022
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Medically reviewed by Cydney Ortiz, PsyD — By Maté Jarai on February 11, 2022
What to know about sensory overload
Sensory overload is the overstimulation of one or more of the body’s five senses. People will respond differently to feeling overstimulated, but symptoms often include anxiety, discomfort, and fear.
Though sensory overload can affect anyone, it commonly occurs in autistic people, and those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sensory processing disorder, and certain other conditions.
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Sensory overload happens when one or more of the body’s five senses become overwhelmed. It can happen, for example, in a crowded restaurant, when the radio is too loud, or when a passerby is wearing a strongly scented perfume.
In these situations, the brain receives too much information to be able to process it properly. Sensory overload leads to feelings of discomfort that range from mild to intense.
Everyone experiences sensory overload at some point in their lives. Some children and adults, however, experience it regularly. For these individuals, everyday situations can be challenging.
For them, going to the school or office cafeteria can lead to sensory overload. The sounds of people talking loudly, strong smells of food, and flickering fluorescent lights can all trigger feelings of being overwhelmed and uncomfortable.
What sensory overload feels like can vary from one person to another. Some people may be more sensitive to sound, for example, while others may have issues with different textures.
Common symptoms include:
- inability to ignore loud sounds, strong smells, or other types of sensory input
- a sense of discomfort
- anxiety and fear
- extreme sensitivity to clothing or other textures
- feeling overwhelmed or agitated
- irritability
- loss of focus
- restlessness
- stress
- insomnia
In children, the following signs can indicate sensory overload:
- anxiety, irritability, and restlessness
- avoiding specific places or situations
- closing the eyes
- covering the face
- crying
- placing the hands over the ears
- the inability to converse with others or connect with them
- running away from specific places or situations
Sensory overload occurs when the brain struggles to interpret, prioritize, or otherwise process sensory inputs. It then communicates to the body that it is time to escape these sensory inputs. This message causes feelings of discomfort and panic.
In some people who experience sensory overload regularly, such as those with a sensory processing disorder, there may be a biological basis for these processing problems.
One study indicates that children with sensory processing disorder have quantifiable differences in their brain structure. The researchers suggest that this points to a biological basis for sensory processing problems.
However, not everyone who experiences sensory overload will have these structural differences.
Sensory overload in children occurs fairly commonly. A 2018 report states that 1 in every 6 Trusted Source children has sensory processing difficulties. In certain groups, the prevalence ranges from 80% to 100%. These groups include children with:
- autism spectrum disorder
- fetal alcohol syndrome
- Down syndrome
Sensory overload in children can be difficult to recognize, especially if there is no co-occurring condition.
Parents and caregivers may attribute the symptoms to “bad behavior” because it can cause children to run away from situations, have a meltdown that results in a tantrum, or appear irritable and restless.
In children who do not have a related condition, sensory overload may simply occur because the brain is still developing.
Parents and caregivers should learn to recognize both the triggers and the signs and symptoms of sensory overload in children. Swift action can reduce the impact on the child and help manage their reactions.
Conditions that have an association with sensory overload include:
Autism
Sensory overload and autism can sometimes go hand in hand. This is because autistic people commonly perceive sensory input differently.
When an autistic person becomes overwhelmed from sensory overload, they may experience a meltdown. This may involve crying and shouting, running away, or not responding to stimuli from the environment.
In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association added sensitivity to sensory input to the list of diagnostic criteria for autism.
Learn more about autism here.
ADHD
Sensory overload and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can also go together. In people with ADHD, sensory inputs compete for attention in the brain, which may trigger sensory overload.
Understood.org, a nonprofit organization, suggests that certain types of sensory information, such as the texture of food or sensation of clothing, are more likely to cause sensory overload in those with ADHD.
Learn more about ADHD here.
PTSD
People experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can become hypersensitive to their surroundings, which can lead to sensory overload. This means that sensory overload and PTSD can often co-exist. People who have PTSD have usually experienced one or more traumatic events. The sensory overload usually occurs in response to certain triggers that remind the person of this trauma.
Learn more about PTSD here.
Sensory processing disorder
Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is a neurological disorder that occurs when a person finds it difficult to respond to sensory input. Generally, there are two different types of the condition.
Hypersensitivity is when a person is overly sensitive to things like smells, sounds, tastes, or textures. A person may try to avoid these sensory experiences because they are too overwhelming.
Hyposensitivity, which is also known as sensory seeking, is when a person looks for more sensory stimulation, especially physical touch or pressure.
Some people can have a mix of both types, and both children and adults can have SPD. However, doctors more commonly diagnose children with SPD than adults.
Other conditions
People with some other conditions may be more likely to experience sensory overload than the general population. These other conditions include:
As sensory overload is not an official disorder, it is not possible to get a formal diagnosis.
However, many doctors and healthcare professionals recognize sensory overload, especially in autistic people and those who have ADHD and other related conditions.
Before speaking to a doctor about sensory overload, it can be helpful for a person to keep a diary of any sensory overload signs, symptoms, and triggers.
Triggers can include specific stimuli, such as loud sounds and bright lights, as well as mental and physicalTrusted Source factors such as depression and dehydration.
The doctor will probably ask several questions about the triggers and events surrounding episodes of sensory overload. In doing this, they hope to understand more fully how a person experiences sensory overload.
A doctor may referTrusted Source a child with suspected sensory overload to a developmental pediatrician or an occupational therapist for further evaluation and treatment.
There is no specific treatment for sensory overload. Generally, the aim is to help people dealing with sensory overloads be able to plan for them and manage their reactions.
Occupational therapy may be helpful for children who experience sensory overload. Occupational therapists can help people make changes to their environment to minimize the frequency or severity of sensory overload.
Medications for co-occurring conditions may also reduce sensory overload.
In autistic people, for example, the medication aripiprazole (Abilify) may be helpful.
Many people can manage episodes of sensory overload with specific techniques and home care. Individuals can try:
- keeping a diary of signs, symptoms, and triggers of sensory overload
- avoiding the triggers of sensory overloads, such as loud concerts or events with flashing lights, where possible
- asking others to help reduce sensory inputs, such as by turning down bright lights or opening a window when strong smells are present
- identifying safe spaces to escape to when a sensory overload occurs at school, work, or other venues
- staying near the exit when at a concert or party so that it is easy to leave if necessary
- talking to teachers, colleagues, friends, and others about sensory overload and asking for their support in reducing sensory inputs
- taking regular breaks, and getting enough rest and sleep
- drinking lots of water and eating a balanced diet
Children
When it comes to children with sensory overload, parents and caregivers canTrusted Source:
- help their child avoid triggering situations
- give the child the words to explain what is happening and how it feels
- validate the child’s feelings and experiences
- inform teachers of the possibility of sensory overload and ask for their support
- seek help from a doctor, occupational therapist, or another specialist
Sensory overload can happen to anyone, but it is more common in autistic people and people with ADHD, PTSD, and certain other conditions.
It causes feelings of discomfort and being overwhelmed. Moving away from sources of sensory input, such as loud sounds or strong smells, can reduce these feelings.
People who experience regular episodes of sensory overload should see their doctor. A doctor can provide support and recommend treatments or management techniques. They can also determine whether there is a co-occurring condition that requires treatment.
Last medically reviewed on August 10, 2021
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Medically reviewed by Vara Saripalli, Psy.D. — By Jayne Leonard — Up
What is a sensory processing disorder?
Sensory processing disorders are conditions that affect how the brain processes sensory information.
They can cause over or undersensitivity to sensory information, including sight, sound, and touch.
Although sensory processing disorders are not a formal diagnosis, they can be disruptive and uncomfortable. The disorders usually start at a young age and can cause challenging behavior.
This article will explain what sensory processing disorders are, the possible symptoms, and the treatment options.
The symptoms of sensory processing disorders may start at a young age.
Sensory processing disorders disrupt how the nervous system processes sensory information.
The nervous system is a complex system of nerve cells that send signals around the body. It receives information about the outside world through sensory inputs.
For example, the ears receive sensory information in the form of sound waves. The brain then processes these sound waves, turning them into something meaningful.
There are eight senses:
- sight
- sound
- touch
- taste
- smell
- body movement
- body awareness
- interoception, which refers to needing the toilet or feeling hungry
When a person has a sensory processing disorder, their brain cannot effectively process certain sensory information. People usually have no difficulties receiving the information itself.
The disorders cause inappropriate responses, reactions, or both to sensory information. Some people become oversensitive to sensory input. Others may become undersensitive to sensory input.
For example, children with a sensory processing disorder may find certain places or people overwhelming. Others may lack sensations, causing them to play roughly and constantly touch objects.
The disorders typically start when a person is a toddler.
The main symptom of a sensory processing disorder in children and adults is the inappropriate processing of sensory information. This typically results in over or undersensitivity to sensations.
For example, some will experience fewer sensations than normal, while others will become easily overwhelmed.
Children who find sensory input overwhelming may show signs that include:
- being overwhelmed by people or places
- startling easily
- difficulty with bright lights
- avoiding contact with others
- reacting strongly to smells, sounds, or textures
Those who are undersensitive to sensory input may:
- frequently touch objects and play roughly
- have a high pain tolerance
- fidget or move regularly
- be clumsy and uncoordinated
Many other symptoms can also occur, depending on which senses the disorders affect. For example, some symptoms affect movement and balance.
In some cases, the symptoms are more subtle. For example, some people may experience difficulties telling the difference between textures.
It is unclear what causes sensory processing disorders.
They tend to run in families, so a genetic issue may be a contributing factor.
Congenital abnormalities are another possible cause of sensory processing disorders. Sometimes, the disorders occur with autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Sensory processing disorders can differ depending on which senses they affect. The severity of the disorder also affects its symptoms.
There are eight senses, and the disorders can affect any of them. According to the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder, there are up to 260,000 different patterns of symptoms that might occur.
It is possible to group these patterns into three main subtypes:
- Sensory modulating disorder: This type usually involves over or undersensitivity to sensory information.
- Sensory-based motor disorder: This type affects balance, movement, and coordination.
- Sensory discrimination disorders: These affect how the brain interprets subtle differences in sensory inputs, such as different textures.
These subtypes can cause broadly different symptoms.
There are no formal criteria for assessing sensory processing disorders, and a doctor will make a diagnosis based on the person’s medical history, symptoms, and physical examination.
In children, doctors will focus on behavior and how they interact with other children or objects.
They may also use tests of sensory processing to detect problems. For example, sensory integration and praxis tests (SIPTs) can detect some sensory problems in children.
SIPTs will show the doctor how a child plays with toys, how they hold certain objects (such as a fork or a pencil), how they build structures, and more.
There is no medication or cure for sensory processing disorders. However, doctors can help a person manage the symptoms through therapy.
For example, they may suggest sensory integration therapy, which usually involves a broad range of physical activities to regulate a person’s responses to sensory information.
The therapy aims to balance sensory inputs and improve a person’s spatial awareness. A person may do a mixture of activities at home or in specially designed environments.
The treatment may also involve cognitive behavioral therapy, which can help a person deal with the emotional aspects of their condition. Physical therapy is another option.
Sensory processing disorders are a group of conditions that affect how the brain processes sensory information. The symptoms vary in severity and depend on which senses the disorders affect.
Although sensory processing disorders usually start in toddlers, they may occur in adults, too. They could be an underlying cause of disruptive behavior in young people.
The disorders may be difficult to diagnose, as there are no formal criteria. However, there are treatment options to manage the symptoms, such as sensory integration therapy.
Research is ongoing to understand the causes of sensory processing disorders. Genetics and birth abnormalities are some possible causes.
Last medically reviewed on April 29, 2020
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Medically reviewed by Heidi Moawad, M.D. — By Aaron Kandola on April 29, 2020
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