The trait of high sensitivity is in essence all about processing information more deeply. This noticing of details and their meaning is the basic survival trait inherited by a minority of individuals within many species, humans included. This trait allows sensitive individuals to notice opportunities and threats that others miss. Why always a minority? Why isn’t everyone highly sensitive? Because if everyone noticed everything, there would be no advantage to anyone being highly sensitive. But a few always develop this extra sensitivity. I want to emphasize the essence of high sensitivity becau ..read more

In August 2022, I wrote a blog strongly questioning an article saying that high sensitivity (HS) can “overlap” with vulnerable narcissism (as opposed to the grandiose form).  Scott Barry Kaufman wrote a good blog on this too. Vulnerable narcissists are a relatively new idea, a category of narcissist born from the observation that they are highly focused on themselves—”am I good enough” and all that, to the point that they fail to consider what others are feelings. It can make anyone seem selfish or callous if their only thought seems to be, “What do you think? How am I doing?” Or, “Wow, c ..read more

This blog is about high sensitivity and high sensation seeking because I want you to stay informed about recent research and we just published an article on this subject by Bianca Acevedo, Art Aron, me, Tracy Cooper, and Robert Marhenke: “Sensory processing sensitivity and its relation to sensation seeking,” in the 2023 issue of Current Research in Behavioral Sciences, 4, 100100. Read the full article here.  If you are highly sensitive and not a high sensation seeker, well, what I say about having children also applies to having the high sensation seeking trait: “It’s wonde ..read more

May is mental health awareness month. For 2023, the Mental Health Awareness month campaign “is focused on how surroundings impact mental health, and we are calling for individuals to look around, look within.” In 1949, Mental Health America (MHA) designated May as Mental Health Month to raise awareness and “to spread the word that mental health is something everyone should care about.” This is an important theme for HSPs and Highly Sensitive Youth. Why? We are more impacted by our surroundings than anyone without high sensitivity. “Look around and look within” and you will surely see the peopl ..read more

I promised to finish up the research in 2022 and after that only present the very best studies and comment on those further.  But here are the last good studies of 2022.  Remember, you can always just read the title and “bottom line.”  I know some of you will be fascinated, some bored.  Above all, be happy with all the research being done, putting us on the scientific map! Sensory processing sensitivity and axonal microarchitecture: identifying brain structural characteristics for behavior.  David, S., Brown, L. L., Heemskerk, A. M., Aron, E., Leemans, A., & Aron ..read more

This blog on research needs a long introduction before coming to the studies themselves.  After receiving questions about the research article “Do highly sensitive persons display hypersensitive narcissism?” that came out in February, I knew it was going to be an issue for HSPs.  Hence the first half of this blog. As a heads up, the second half of this blog is a discussion of three research articles on HSPs as parents, published in 2019-2020.  But my “bottom line” for each is for non-parents too, because each study’s findings relate to any job in which an HSP is caring for or ma ..read more

These are more interesting studies, from various dates.  I am still catching up. Role of Childhood Adversities and Environmental Sensitivity in the Development of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in War-Exposed Syrian Refugee Children and Adolescents. Karam, E. G., Fayyad, J. A., Farhat, C., Pluess, M., Haddad, Y. C., Tabet, C. C., … & Kessler, R. C. (2019). Role of childhood adversities and environmental sensitivity in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder in war-exposed Syrian refugee children and adolescents. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 214(6), 354-360 ..read more

Let me start by admitting that I never planned to pursue an academic career in the first place. As a result, I don’t have a typical university professor background. Whilst growing up in Switzerland, music was my main passion. I played various instruments and dreamt of touring the world as a bass guitarist. And in order to fund my music studies after completing high school, I ended up training and working on the side as a lab technician in analytical chemistry. But after having toured for a few years as a professional musician, I realized that what brought me even more alive were deep conversat ..read more

Excerpt from Bill Allen’s Confessions of a Highly Sensitive Man, Chapter 3: Being Different Growing Up Quiet and Alone I was a shy child and introverted. One of my earliest recollections was around the age of four. My parents had switched churches, and I can clearly remember the first Sunday we attended the new church. I was taken to a rather large room divided into sections. My mother and father knew I wasn’t going to go lightly into this strange place. The minute I knew I was being sent off to be with complete strangers, the waterworks began. I can remember screaming and kicking. I felt aban ..read more

I do not have to tell HSPs that we are now mired in personal and global uncertainty, because we hate uncertainty.  We always process decisions deeply (e.g., struggle), and it’s hardest when there are so many uncertainties and future influences that we can think of all too well but cannot control. Right now, almost everything requires our depth of processing. How much risk to take? Should I enter into this activity, situation, store, visit with a friend–or stay safe? What about my mask—is it right or do I need a better one? How will this affect me financially? What should I do about that p ..read more