What is sensory processing sensitivity? Thanks for asking!

“Why are you being so sensitive?” “Stop overreacting”. It’s common to hear people criticise others for being highly sensitive, but it actually often isn’t a choice. 

Sensory processing sensitivity, or SPS, is a personality trait which describes how individuals’ levels of sensitivity vary when reacting to physical, social and emotional stimuli. This is down to differences in the central nervous system and cognitive processing.

Discussion of SPS is recent. It only began in the 1990s, thanks to American psychologists Elaine and Arthur Aron. They designed a questionnaire to measure sensitivity and estimated that 15-20% of the world’s population have high SPS. Such people are known as HSPs, or highly sensitive people.

Wow, that’s a lot! Could I be an HSP without realising it?

There are a number of telltale signs. On the physical side, a highly sensitive person may react in a very positive or negative way to certain sounds, odours or even touches. Some examples are bright lights, coarse fabrics and loud noises.

Emotional reactions, both positive and negative, can also be strong. Highly sensitive people may have trouble accepting criticism, as well as compliments. They can switch quickly from joy to anger, or from love to apathy. Due to their heightened empathy, they understand what other people are feeling. 

If you’re a neurotypical, you may find HSPs tactless when describing their feelings.

Is high sensitivity considered an illness? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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