Are you hypersensitive?

We talk more and more about hypersensitivity. But do you know what it is? What characterizes hypersensitive people?

High sensitivity has been talked about for a long time through novels, poetry, but the theory in psychology dates only from the 1980s-1990s. The term hypersensitivity is a French translation of a concept developed in the United States, "highly sensitive person" or highly sensitive person .

This concept was born from the observation in certain animal species of more sensitive individuals who react more strongly to their environment, and from the observation of the same phenomenon in human beings. "Hypersensitive people have a much higher sensitivity to environmental stimulation with a higher emotional response", describes Nathalie Clobert, psychologist and author of My hypersensitivity bible, at Editions Leduc.s, November 2021.

Hypersensitivity is a personality characteristic that affects 15-20% of the population . People who are hypersensitive have it since birth in general. "As in all the elements of the personality there is a genetic part and an acquired part, environmental" , specifies the psychologist.

Hypersensitivity: the suggestive signs

What stands out about this personality trait?

• Greater sensitivity to sound and visual elements (loud noises, bright lights, strong smells can disturb a hypersensitive person),
• a greater perception of the elements of their environment (perception of the slightest change in the environment, particular sensitivity to atmospheres),
• greater responsiveness to what they perceive in others in terms of emotion .

"We must distinguish between this higher sensitivity to the whole range of emotions in cases of hypersensitivity (these are people who will easily cry of joy or sadness) and the higher sensitivity only to negative emotions in people who suffer from depression , underlines Nathalie Clobert. Hypersensitive people also perceive more non-verbal signals, for example the discrepancy between what a person says and the tone in which they say it. This is how they often unmask people with two faces or who try to manipulate the other" , informs the psychologist.

This distinguishes hypersensitivity from personality disorders : those with borderline personality disorder, for example, are very sensitive to relational elements, but misinterpret them. This is not the case for the hypersensitive.

Make the most of your hypersensitivity

Hypersensitivity is seen as a weakness, a problem, a defect. "However, while having a hypersensitive personality can indeed be a source of suffering in a hostile environment and in our very normative society in general (in which crying is seen as a sign of weakness), we forget to explore the positive side. You also have to see that it is an axis of development when you are in a beneficial environment", informs Nathalie Clobert. She insists in particular on the fact that people with high sensitivity are more sensitive to the little pleasures of everyday life, have the ability to forge rich and deep bonds with others that will help them mutually.

"You can't get rid of a higher sensitivity, but it is possible to learn how to manage your emotions, to avoid the inconveniences of emotional outbursts in public, to distance yourself from what you feel" , teaches the psychologist. "There are different therapeutic approaches that allow you to better live with your emotions, in particular the third wave of CBTs", she informs.

And you can use it! Ask yourself the following questions: what good can I do with this hypersensitivity? What can she bring me? "The idea is to make your sensitivity resonate and not just muzzle it, for example through artistic activities," says Nathalie Clobert.

The psychologist's recommendations for living well with hypersensitivity: accepting this aspect of our personality, making it an asset , protecting ourselves more from toxic environments, not forcing ourselves to do things that will offend our sensitivity (like going to see a movie violent with friends).