About sensitivity

Like most other common human traits, sensitivity is partially genetic. About 50% of the differences in sensitivity between people can be explained by genetic factors, whereas the remaining 50% are accounted for by environmental influences.

Although several studies examined and identified individual genes that seem to be related to sensitivity, it is very unlikely that the genetic basis of sensitivity is the result of just one or a few genes.

Most complex and common human traits have been found to be associated with a large number of genes, usually several thousand, and each typically has a very small effect.

Hence, there is likely no single “sensitivity gene” and any gene that is related to sensitivity will explain only a tiny fraction of the differences in sensitivity.

As a result, researchers have focused on adding up the hundreds to thousands of genetic variants related to sensitivity into an overall genetic sensitivity score.

This research has shown that children that are genetically more sensitive are indeed more strongly affected by the parenting quality they experience and adults that are genetically more sensitivity have been found to benefit more from psychological intervention.

Sensitivity is the result of a complex interplay between our genes and experiences that begins in the womb and continues throughout life.

Interestingly, differences in sensitivity can already be observed during pregnancy. For example, research on prenatal development shows that some foetuses are clearly more responsive to sounds and their mother’s physiological and psychological stress than others.

In infancy, differences in sensitivity have been associated with specific temperament traits. According to research, sensitive babies tend to get more easily upset, cry more often, take longer to recover, are more reactive, more easily overstimulated, more afraid of strangers and unfamiliar situations, and more cautious in new environments.

Importantly, one of the reasons that sensitivity has been associated with these negative behaviours is that many temperament measures do not capture the more positive aspects of sensitivity.

Research further suggests that adverse experiences in early childhood can contribute to the development of heightened sensitivity in adolescence and adulthood, particularly in those with greater genetic predisposition for sensitivity.

This means that differences in sensitivity are in part genetic but also shaped by the type and quality of our upbringing and environment. However, more research is needed to investigate how sensitivity develops and changes throughout life.

Given that sensitivity is a basic human trait, everyone is sensitive to an extent. However, research has shown that people tend to fall into three different groups along a spectrum of sensitivity: low, medium and high. 30% of the population fall under the highly sensitive group, 40% under medium and 30% under low.

People in the highly sensitive group have been described as “Orchids” since they require optimal care but are particularly beautiful when they flourish. Individuals in the low sensitivity group have been compared to “Dandelions”, which tend to be robust and grow anywhere. The 40% who fall in the middle group have been described as “Tulips” to reflect that they are less delicate than “Orchids” but not as robust as “Dandelions”.

Importantly, differences in sensitivity between these three groups should be understood as reflecting a spectrum from low to high. People that fall into the low sensitivity group are still sensitive to their environment but just to a lesser degree than the other groups.

None of the leading theories propose that women are more sensitive than men and empirical studies are inconclusive.

In studies of adults where sensitivity is measured with questionnaires, women often tend to self-report higher levels of sensitivity. This has also been observed in studies looking at sensitivity in children, even when sensitivity was rated by psychologists rather than by the children themselves.

Conversely, a large-scale study on twins did not find any genetic gender differences in sensitivity, suggesting that the heightened sensitivity found in adult women and girls may reflect social and cultural influences rather than biological ones. For example, in many societies, sensitivity is considered more of a feminine trait and therefore more likely to be accepted and expressed by women and girls.

Interestingly, although women and girls often report higher sensitivity in questionnaires, several studies find that it is actually the sensitive males whose behaviour is more influenced by their environment. This again suggests that it is not that females are necessarily more sensitive but rather that females are more likely to report sensitivity behaviours.

More research is needed to understand gender differences, including the key role of socialisation.

High sensitivity may be perceived as challenging or difficult in certain situations. Theory suggests that individuals who are highly sensitive are more strongly affected by negative experiences such as low-quality parental care and stressful life events. It this sense, highly sensitive people may sometimes be less robust and resilient.

It is important to recognise, however, that one of the reasons high sensitivity is often viewed negatively is that much of the early research on sensitivity focused on negative consequences and many of the measures of sensitivity have been overly biased to the negative aspects of the trait, masking the known positive aspects of sensitivity.

That said, research has shown that highly sensitive children are more likely to develop behavioural problems when they have been exposed to negative parenting practices.

Furthermore, because sensitive people process information more deeply, they tend to get more easily overwhelmed in highly stimulating or chaotic environments. This may, in turn, negatively impact their energy and performance under such conditions.

Finally, whether a trait like sensitivity is considered a weakness is also influenced by cultural preferences. For example, while being shy is generally perceived as undesirable in the United States, the same behaviour is more respected and appreciated in China.

There are many advantages to being highly sensitive. According to theory, these advantages are the result of the heightened perception and deeper processing by sensitive people.

For example, sensitive people tend to have a particularly well-developed understanding of relationships and of other people’s feelings and thoughts due to their heightened levels of empathy.

They have also been found to be more creative than less sensitive people and often have a deep appreciation of beauty.

And they tend to be more aware of subtleties in their environment and therefore perceive details more easily.

As a result of these qualities, sensitive people tend to make excellent counsellors, artists, advisers, coaches and scientists.

In addition, sensitive people tend to benefit more from positive experiences than their less sensitive counterparts.

For example, studies have shown that highly sensitive children develop better social skills and do better in school versus less sensitive children when they grow up in a caring and supportive environment. Similarly, sensitive children have been found to benefit more from psychological programmes and interventions than less sensitive ones.

Sensitivity shares some similarities with other common personality traits. In psychology, personality is usually described and measured across five dimensions. As with sensitivity, which can range from low to high, these dimensions are also each measured on a spectrum. These are:

• Extraversion (being sociable and outgoing)
• Neuroticism (being easily stressed and anxious)
• Openness to Experiences (being open-minded and imaginative)
• Agreeableness (being kind and cooperative)
• Conscientiousness (being self-disciplined and orderly).

Studies have shown that highly sensitive people tend to have higher scores of Neuroticism, Openness to Experiences, Agreeableness, and somewhat lower scores of Extraversion, while the relationship between sensitivity and Conscientiousness is negligible.

Neuroticism reflects the tendency of sensitive people to be more negatively affected by adverse experiences. Openness to Experiences captures their heightened sensitivity to positive aspects of the environment. Agreeableness relates to their greater sensitivity to social cues. The lower Extraversion describes sensitive people’s tendency to be a little less outgoing and sociable (more introverted).

Overall, it should be noted that these common personality traits explain only a part of sensitivity. Furthermore, the development of personality is also dependent on people’s life experiences. For example, sensitive people that had difficult childhoods are more likely to develop high Neuroticism, compared to sensitive people growing up in supportive environments.

Being highly sensitive is not a psychological disorder. Research shows that every person is sensitive and that people differ in their degree of sensitivity, just as people vary in other common human traits, such as personality characteristics.

The fact that similar differences in sensitivity have been observed in animal species suggests that there is a biological basis to sensitivity and that it was conserved over the course of evolution due to its important role for adaption to the environment.

Nevertheless, as with other personality traits, being at the extreme ends of the sensitivity spectrum may be associated with an increased risk for the development of psychological problems.

For example, research shows that people with high sensitivity are at greater risk of developing anxiety and depression, but only when experiencing adverse circumstances.

On the other hand, people with very low sensitivity may be at heightened risk of developing other problems due to their low levels of empathy, such as conduct disorder or psychopathy. However, the latter is only based on theory and has not yet been investigated and confirmed empirically in research studies.

Importantly, although some known disorders (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing disorder) are characterized by heightened sensory sensitivity, it must be noted that these disorders are fundamentally different from the common trait of sensitivity.

Although research studies suggest that sensitivity is associated with both Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), sensitivity is different from autism and ADHD. For example, autism and ADHD are considered neurodevelopmental conditions with clearly defined diagnostic criteria that characterise a small proportion of the population (about 2-3% for Autism and about 5% for ADHD). Sensitivity, on the other hand, represents a common human trait with up to 30% of the population being particularly sensitive.

Importantly, autism and ADHD are complex neurodevelopmental conditions with often different patterns of symptoms between individuals. For example, some people with autism or ADHD experience high sensory sensitivity whilst for others sensory sensitivity can be especially low.

Although sensitivity is different from autism and ADHD, it is possible that someone is both sensitive and autistic, or is characterised by both high sensitivity and ADHD. However, whilst many autistic people and people with ADHD may share aspects of heightened sensitivity, most people that are highly sensitive are likely not autistic and don’t have ADHD.

More research is needed to unravel similarities and differences between sensitivity and neurodevelopmental conditions. Importantly, the available sensitivity measures are not suitable as diagnostic tools and any person concerned about autism or ADHD should be seen by a specialist to ensure proper and professional diagnosis and appropriate support.

As with most personality traits, the typical approach to assessing sensitivity is with questionnaires. Based on extensive research, a series of questionnaires to measure sensitivity have been developed and refined.

For children, these can either be reported by the child, parent or by a teacher. These scales have been tested repeatedly in empirical research and found to capture sensitivity to the environment.

Questionnaires have many advantages and reflect the subjective experience of the individual. However, they can be biased. A more objective way of measuring sensitivity can be achieved through the assessment by trained specialists. A professional interview assessment to identify high sensitivity by qualified professionals is available. If you are interested in finding out more about our professional assessment of sensitivity, please email info@sensitivityresearch.com.

Given that sensitivity is partially explained by genetics, it is also possible to measure sensitivity by considering an individual’s genetic make-up.

However, the current state of knowledge does not yet allow for accurate individual assessment based on genetics. Additional research is needed to better understand the genetic basis for sensitivity. It may also be beneficial to focus on physiological aspects of sensitivity such as hormones and the brain in order to assess sensitivity more objectively.

Although existing measures already provide a valid way of assessing sensitivity, more research is required to make the assessment more objective, precise and reliable.