A highly sensitive person (HSP) is someone who feels and experiences the world more deeply than most.

Everyone is sensitive to some extent – most humans have a level of sensitivity, empathy, understanding, compassion and emotion but for highly sensitives it is like the volume has been turned up to 11.

It is estimated that approximately 1 in 5 or 20% of the general population are highly sensitive, 40-50% experience average sensitivity and 20-30% low sensitivity.

Most likely genetically inherited, high sensitivity is a natural biological trait. Highly sensitive people have an increased awareness and an increased responsiveness to environmental and social cues.

It is also known as Sensory Processing Sensitivity or Environmental Sensitivity or more recent terminology includes High Sensory Intelligence and High Sensory Perception.

Highly Sensitive People or HSPs experience emotion and stimuli more intensely than others with deeper processing of sensory input and an increase in empathic ability.

If you think you are a HSP, I am delighted to tell you that there is nothing wrong with you, you are not flawed or ‘too sensitive’ or ‘overly-emotional’ as you might have been told all your life.

You are not ‘less than’ or weaker in any way because of your ability to feel more deeply - validating your true experience allows you to reclaim your innate power and strength.

HSPs can internalise all the negative messages and feedback we receive (due to our empathic abilities, ironically). This feedback can often come from well-meaning, loving people who do not experience the world with the same depth and intensity.

And of course we listen to these trusted voices in childhood and in adulthood which can leave us feeling like there's something wrong with us or we're going crazy but there is nothing to fix, nothing to overcome or improve.

Simply put, you and your brain function differently to most people – you could say you are neurodivergent - though this is debatable as neurodivergence is mostly used to describe developmental conditions or disorders and high sensitivity is a trait, a part of your personality and identity.

With increased self-awareness on this trait, you will begin to see however that you are neuro-atypical – part of the 20% of the population who experience things differently.

It is time to honour and leverage this powerful trait and to do so, you need to understand it.

You have incredible skills that should not be underestimated!

Here are some key insights now available to us.

After 30+ years of research on the trait of high sensitivity, we have a lot of answers that we did not have before – which comes as a huge relief and is really validating to the authentic experience highly sensitive people.

Some of the most significant findings on high sensitivity include the following:

1. Brain Activity: Neurological Basis
The discovery that HSPs have distinct brain activity patterns (thanks to studies using fMRI), especially in areas linked to empathy, awareness, and sensory processing is foundational.

This finding not only validates our experience as HSPs – yes, it is a ‘real’ thing – an observable trait. It also shows it has biological roots which helps to distinguish it from other personality or mental health traits.

2. Environmental Sensitivity: It’s a Spectrum
The understanding that high sensitivity or Sensitivity Processing Sensitivity (SPS) exists on a spectrum broadens our perspective of sensitivity and how people respond to their environment.

Sensitivity is not an “all-or-nothing” trait but rather part of a continuum, which opens up ways to think about how diverse environments impact individuals differently.

(just imagine how valid this is in the workplace!)

3. Good is Great, Bad is Awful: Differential Susceptibility

Several studies suggest that HSPs are more affected by both positive and negative influences. This means we thrive in nurturing environments but struggle more in harsh ones. This highlights how sensitivity can be either a risk factor or an advantage, depending on the circumstances.

This finding helps to explain why HSPs can thrive in supportive conditions but may struggle in high-stress situations - key for designing interventions and supportive environments where diversity is recognised.

4. Mental Health & Wellbeing
Recognising that HSPs are more vulnerable to mental ill-health, particularly in unsupportive or stressful conditions, has important implications for wellbeing and healthcare.

It helps frame HSPs' mental health experiences as a response to environmental interactions rather than an inherent flaw, guiding better approaches in therapy and support (and needs in the workplace).

5. Creative Advantage
HSPs often excel in creative, artistic, and intellectual domains due to their deep processing abilities and strong emotional responses.

Studies indicate higher-than-average levels of creativity and problem-solving skills among HSPs, which may stem from their capacity to perceive and process subtleties.

While I agree that labelling of any kind can risk oversimplifying human nature and undermine individuality, labels provide a framework for self-understanding and validation.

These insights empower highly sensitive and highly empathic individuals to live authentically by embracing and accepting their unique experience.

The descriptions and definitions of high sensitivity and empathic abilities are not designed to box us in or define one group as separate from another – everyone is unique because of all the traits that make up their character and identity.

In my experience, knowing and appreciating your high sensitivity brings empowerment and for many, a massive paradigm shift where full expression is no longer feared.

Let’s consider the empathic spectrum as follows:

Most people in the world are loving, compassionate, empathic people - and they fall in the mid range of the empathic spectrum, probably most people that you know.

Being an empath is when your level of empathy is at the extreme end of The Empathic Spectrum.

As with HSPs, empaths have an extremely reactive neurological system.

They absorb both the positive and not so positive energies around them – and can easily experience the emotions and even physical symptoms of others which can be really challenging especially for someone who is not aware they are highly empathic.

All Empaths are HSPs but not all HSPs are empaths – this makes sense when you consider the empathic spectrum, but in my experience the majority of HSPs also consider themselves as empaths.

Empaths can feel and read the energy of others, they can make others feel better and are often drawn to advisory, teaching, healing or creative / expressive roles in both their personal and professional lives.

The same can be said for HSPs.

The most important thing for empaths is learning how to ground their energy and set healthy boundaries to protect their own personal space.

Many years ago, when I was beginning to learn about my own experiences as a HSP & empath, an energy healer and friend taught me that other people's 'stuff' can weigh a lot heavier on us than our own challenges. That was a real lightbulb moment for me - I began to understand how much I was processing and carrying around that did not belong to me.

I also realised how much strength I had available to me once I learned to manage my own energies – and by not absorbing the energy and stress of others, I could ward off exhaustion, overwhelm and burnout and experience vitality instead.

It is really challenging for someone who is unaware of their SUPERPOWERS - high sensitivity or empathic abilities - you may be carrying around a lot of energy that is not yours which can be exhausting and draining.

Everyone has an "optimal level of arousal," a state where they’re most energised, focused, grounded and in flow—not too tired or too bored or too overstimulated. This level is different for every individual but highly sensitive people hit their peak a lot quicker than non-HSPs because their nervous systems process and respond to stimuli more intensely.

As a result, HSPs are more susceptible to over-arousal or overstimulation, especially in more traditional work settings - busy, loud, or chaotic environments.

This does not equate to being weak or ‘unable to cope’ – this is a reflection of how you are built and how your brain is wired! The feelings of overwhelm and fatigue and not being able to ‘keep up’ can lead to anxiety (more so than the overstimulation itself).

Without self-knowledge and self-validation, chronic overstimulation will turn into burnout. This is the only ‘negative’ aspect of being an HSP, the only one to be mindful of and manage to remain at your best.

HSPs tend to thrive in calm, supportive settings, but we also need to navigate the world around us which is largely non-hsp in nature, so managing your energies and boundaries is everything.

Managing your exposure to stimuli allows you to maintain an optimal level of energy flow and balance, so you can harness and leverage the benefits of your innate strengths.

Your sensitivity is your greatest strength, once you give it the respect and validation it deserves.