It’s not a bad thing to be sensitive, but too much vulnerability can make your life harder. On the other hand, being insensitive can make people upset with you and even destroy your relationships. What level of sensitivity do you have? Are you a particularly tender person, or are you thick-skinned? With our quiz, you will find the answer in no time. With your sensitivity score, you will be able to adjust your behavior accordingly!

What is a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)? The concept was introduced by clinical psychologist Elaine N. Aron in her book “The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You.” Aron based the book on her research into being a reactive and thin-skinned individual.

An HSP is someone whose central nervous system is more sensitive to physical, emotional, or social stimuli. Around 15 to 20% of the population belongs to that group.

Highly sensitive people have rich and complex inner lives, as well as deep thoughts and feelings. They are moved by beauty, whether in art, nature, or other people. On the other hand, they often can’t handle violence in movies or TV shows, because it’s too intense for them and leaves them disturbed.

HSPs tend to get overwhelmed by sensory stimuli like noise, bright lights, or uncomfortable clothing. Dealing with intense sensations like hunger or pain can also be too much for them. 

A highly sensitive person is similar to an introvert in the sense that both need downtime. An HSP needs to retreat to a peaceful, quiet place to recover after being stimulated too much. The difference between the two types is that an introvert gets overwhelmed due to social stimuli. A highly sensitive person can experience that too, but they are sensitive to sensory stimuli. 

Are you a highly sensitive person? If you react strongly to criticism, get easily overwhelmed by your emotions, and are overstimulated quicker than other people, you might be an HSP. Having a rich inner life, complex ideas, and a wonder for beauty in the world completes the picture. You might also find yourself highly empathetic and attuned to other people’s moods. 

How does being an HSP affect your life? You might avoid situations that leave you overstimulated. Violence, anger, conflict, and tension affect you more than others, so you might avoid things that make you feel uncomfortable.

You are deeply touched by beauty and emotionality. You might be the type to cry because of a sad movie, an inspiring commercial, or a particularly gorgeous painting. You love beauty and art and might inspire to be an artist yourself. 

The relationships that you build tend to be deep and loving. Your empathetic nature allows you to create close bonds with people and be supportive to family members and friends.

While you may feel more angsty than others sometimes, you also have gratitude for small things in life. You appreciate a good meal, a small gift from your child, or a short stroll down the road with your partner. You are thankful for what you have in life, knowing that happiness is fleeting and nothing is certain.

Negativity and criticism cut you deeply. You take things like that personally, even if it’s a constructive critique. It is something you might need to work on. Highly sensitive people have to learn how to accept criticism with grace and not let it ruin their emotional state.

You are an insightful person. You’re known to be observant and can tell a lot about other people from things they’re not saying. You always have profound perceptions to share with the world and can see things others don’t. 

You have an independent spirit, so you tend to prefer doing things solo. You might thrive in an unstructured work environment where you’re allowed more freedom and aren’t forced to work in a team. You’re the same in your personal life. Your loved ones are precious to you, but sometimes you just need to be alone. The lack of company doesn’t bother you but allows you to do as you please.

What are the common traits of highly sensitive people? These include:

• higher empathy towards other people,
• being self-aware more than others are,
• having strong emotional responses,
• being sensitive to loud noises, bright lights, chaotic scenes, or busy crowds
• having higher than average sensitivity to caffeine or meds
• people-pleasing behavior, such as difficulty saying no, being conflict-averse, or being too agreeable.

What are the causes for high sensitivity? Research suggests it might be an innate, evolutionary characteristic. However, it might also develop due to traumatic events, lack of parental warmth growing up, or even because of genetics. There is a higher chance that you will be highly sensitive if your family members are too. 

Are you ready to discover your sensitivity level? Learn how thin or thick-skinned you are with our quiz! Answer some questions, and you will find out how sensitive you are.