‘The World is Overwhelming’: The Reality of Highly Sensitive Individuals

The human brain possesses remarkable adaptive abilities. Even though our senses continuously receive stimuli, we do not react to most of them, and often do not even notice them. Otherwise, we would be like frightened, startled animals, living in constant tension and fear. In such a case, our nervous system would quickly become overloaded, leading to dangerous consequences.

Attention!

One of the most critical cognitive abilities, attention, is a necessary component of the human psyche for learning and memory. It can be likened to a phonograph needle traveling through the grooves of a vinyl record. The information we receive is tracked and continuously processed, when we ‘anchor’ ourselves in its general context, generating an internal representation of the heard content. Common ‘distractions’ are essentially momentary losses of contact with the content and ‘slipping out of the record groove’, leading to a loss of understanding and an interruption of the processing.

For our attention to function correctly, our brain must narrow its perspective, ‘tuning in’ to the information being heard. This is comparable to the accommodative ability of the eye, whereby we clearly see only the area on which we focus in our field of vision, while the rest remains blurred. Such mechanisms allow our brains to maintain proper efficiency and ensure effective data processing.

The reason we sometimes ‘lose track’ is the presence of distractors, everything that diverts our attention. A sudden sound, smell, or image causes our attention to focus on a stronger stimulus, which becomes prominent due to its sudden appearance or high intensity.

An interesting example of sudden attention diversion is the ‘cocktail party effect.’ This was explained with the scenario of a social gathering where we are conversing, and suddenly we hear our name in the crowd. Despite following the words of the conversant, our attention momentarily concentrates on the heard stimulus, as sensory data with which we have a strong emotional connection (such as our name) becomes a very distinct and powerful distractor for our brain.

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Sensory Processing

All our senses form an incredibly complex system that allows us to function in the environment. The way they work has evolved over millions of years, adapting us to changing conditions. The remarkable capacity for adaptation, even in a relatively short time, is evident in cases of individuals who lose one of their senses due to an accident or injury. Blind individuals often develop heightened sensitivity in other senses, such as hearing or touch, enabling them to continue functioning. This is exemplified by the ability to read Braille, which is unimaginable for someone encountering it for the first time (of course, this skill requires appropriate training).

The stimuli we receive through our senses reach the appropriate structures in our brain via neural connections, where they are processed and interpreted. Our ability to learn allows us to quickly assess whether what we see, hear, or feel is a threat or not. Naturally, there are colors, smells, and sounds that are universally unpleasant or evoke a sense of danger, regardless of individual differences. Hence, in nature, venomous animals often have bright colors as a form of warning, and some scents are aversive to us as a warning against consuming something potentially poisonous.

Individual Differences

People vary immensely in a multitude of traits, making each of us unique. Beyond external characteristics that are expressions of genes and their infinite combinations, there are also individual differences in psychological structure, including innate (temperamental) and partly acquired (personality) traits.

The combination of temperament and a specific developmental environment determines whether certain traits, including non-adaptive ones, develop. In terms of personality and temperamental traits, indicators such as emotional reactivity, sensory sensitivity, and the level of arousal threshold are crucial.

The arousal threshold is the minimum intensity of a stimulus required to be noticed and to elicit a bodily response. Individuals with a high arousal threshold tolerate strong stimuli such as loud noises, intense smells, or a multitude of visual impressions more easily. Typically, they need stimulation to feel comfortable. They are prone to risk-taking and enjoy the thrill of excitement. They also exhibit low emotional reactivity, meaning they can ‘accommodate’ more without intense feeling and affect (observed emotional expression). Their senses are not characterized by high sensitivity, leading to low sensory sensitivity.

At the opposite end are individuals with a low arousal threshold. A stimulus of minimal intensity is enough for them to notice and react. The impulses reaching their consciousness often evoke an intensified emotional response (high reactivity), and their senses, all or some, are extremely sensitive to every, even the slightest, signal from the environment.

Highly Sensitive Individuals

The concept of highly sensitive individuals (abbreviated as HSP, from ‘Highly Sensitive Persons’) is relatively new, with ongoing research and publications on the topic. However, existing hypotheses can explain phenomena that many of us experience.

An exaggerated emotional reaction to stimuli is commonly associated with individuals on the autism spectrum (ASD) and a low resistance to distractors with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, many individuals, despite not having these disorders typically (though not always) diagnosed in childhood, experience difficulties in concentrating as well as chronic fatigue. There are many reasons for such symptoms, one of which may be temperamental conditions that fall within the set of traits attributed to highly sensitive individuals.

Usually, individual predispositions lead us, consciously or unconsciously, to choose a profession and living environment that aligns with our character preferences. However, there are times characterized by significant fatigue when the world seems too overwhelming; when we end the day exhausted and without the desire for any activity. This could indicate an overload of the nervous system. It is worthwhile then to reflect on how our day went, briefly analyzing the quantity and intensity of the surrounding stimuli. Perhaps there are simply too many of them, hence the aforementioned symptoms. Individuals with high sensory sensitivity may experience their difficulties consciously or unconsciously. A lack of awareness of their emotions often means that only the effects are noticed, not the causes. Masked manifestations of overload can also appear somatically, for example, as pain symptoms of unknown etiology.

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Taking Care of Ourselves

In a world where the pace of life resembles a mountain river, it is easy to lose oneself. Sometimes, it seems that if we try to pause, others will simply overlook and overrun us. This can cause a great deal of anxiety and suffering. 

We need sensitive people, those with above-average empathy. They are invaluable in working with people, a role that requires immense patience and responsiveness. Therefore, if we feel that we belong to such individuals, we must take care of ourselves. In this fast-paced world, we need to find time to listen to ourselves and our needs. Our brilliant organism will tell us what it needs. We cannot afford to lose people with ‘hearts on their sleeves.’ Without them, the world would not be the same.