So You Feel Everything?
Highly-Sensitive People and Why It's a Superpower
Have you ever cried at a commercial? Felt tired after being in a loud room for 20 minutes? Had a full-blown existential crisis because someone looked at you “funny”?
You might just be a Highly Sensitive Person. Or, as I like to call it, a walking emotional radar system.
What the Heck Is a Highly Sensitive Person?
A Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) is someone with increased sensitivity to sensory input, emotional nuance, and the unspoken vibes in a room. You’re not “too much.” You’re wired differently.
The term was coined by psychologist Dr. Elaine Aron in the 1990s, and research shows that about 15–20% of the population has this trait. Not a disorder. Not a diagnosis. A temperament. Like introversion with extra flavor.
According to Aron’s research, HSPs have a nervous system that processes information more deeply and reacts more strongly to stimuli. That means you notice the subtle shifts in tone, body language, light, sound, and, yes…the emotional weather system of every person you talk to.
You might be:
Easily overwhelmed by bright lights or loud noises (or, God forbid, Costco on a Saturday)
Deeply moved by art, music, or a perfectly timed sunrise
In need of alone time like plants need sunlight
More prone to burnout, especially in chaotic environments
Emotionally affected by other people’s emotions... even the ones they’re not admitting to themselves yet
The Brain Science Behind the Feels
In a 2014 study published in Brain and Behavior, HSPs showed increased activity in regions of the brain involved in awareness, empathy, and self-other processing, particularly the mirror neuron system, which helps us understand what others are feeling just by observing them.
Another study from 2011 using functional MRI (fMRI) scans showed that HSPs' brains lit up like emotional Christmas trees in response to subtle facial expressions, especially those showing sadness or joy.
Translation: You’re not imagining that you pick up on things others miss. You literally are.
You’re rocking a Dolby Surround Sound System, while most people are still on AM radio.
The Double-Edged Sword: Sensitivity and Mental Health
The caveat of being a highly sensitive person in today’s world can feel like showing up to a knife fight with a feather boa. It’s a lot.
Constant overstimulation = sensory overload = chronic exhaustion
Deep empathy = emotional absorption = compassion fatigue
Need for meaning = dissatisfaction with superficial BS = existential spirals
High inner awareness = self-reflection = sometimes… spiraling
HSPs are more prone to anxiety and depression not because they’re inherently fragile, but because they feel more and process more, and when the world doesn’t accommodate that… it can feel like being peeled.
BUT, that same sensitivity is a gift when nurtured well.
Cue the Empowerment Montage: Why Sensitivity Is a Superpower
When HSPs are supported, rested, and respected for their needs (instead of being told to “toughen up” or “stop overthinking”), they tend to be:
Incredible leaders with empathy-based decision-making
Artists, healers, and visionaries who bring emotional depth to the world
Deep listeners and friends who actually see you (like, see you-see you)
Systems thinkers who notice connections and anticipate problems before they arise
Conscience-keepers of their communities and workplaces (aka the first to say “This isn’t okay” when no one else will)
If the world were a chaotic orchestra, HSPs would be the people recognizing that the violin’s slightly out of tune… and also feel why it matters.
How to Thrive as a Highly Sensitive Person (or Love One Without Accidentally Melting Them)
Honor your bandwidth. You do not have the same emotional RAM as everyone else. That’s not weakness. That’s discernment. Rest before you need to.
Know your triggers. Bright lights? Negative people? Loud restaurants? Politely free yourself of those situations whenever necessary.
Make space for your inner world. Journaling, music, quiet walks, breathwork, art…anything that helps metabolize your feelings instead of stuffing them in a mental junk drawer.
Stop apologizing for feeling deeply. This world needs more people who care too much, not fewer.
Find other weird-feely humans. Seriously. Your tribe is out there. And being understood is the cure for thinking you’re broken.
You’re a Highly Tuned Human Instrument
Yep. You might cry during dog food commercials.
You might need to lie in a dark room after a family brunch.
You might spiral into existential despair and meaning-of-life questions on a Tuesday.
But you are exactly what this disconnected, fast-paced, noise-blaring world needs. You bring depth in a time of superficiality. Stillness in a time of speed. Heart in a time of hustle.
You’re not broken.
You’re just awake.
And that, my friend, is a rare and revolutionary thing.
Sources:
Aron, E. N., & Aron, A. (1997). Sensory-processing sensitivity and its relation to introversion and emotionality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Acevedo, B. P., et al. (2014). The highly sensitive brain: an fMRI study of sensory processing sensitivity and response to others' emotions. Brain and Behavior.
Jagiellowicz, J., et al. (2011). The trait of sensory processing sensitivity and neural responses to changes in visual scenes. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.