# sensitive personalities and vigilance **URL:** \ **Category:** Lounge\ **Created:** [April 1, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/sensitive-personalities-and-vigilance/2851 "2007-04-01T00:33:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PheroQuirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9e8a1a/32.png) [@PheroQuirk](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/PheroQuirk)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/sensitive-personalities-and-vigilance/2851/1 "2007-04-01T00:33:54Z")
I wonder how much this trait explains the differences in initial perceptions of how well pheros work (and maybe also responsiveness to mones). Interesting take, in any case. [Highly sensitive person - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highly_sensitive_person) [The Highly Sensitive Person In Love with Elaine Aron](http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=53955&page=1) [http://cogprints.org/4738/01/Environ.\_Sensitivity\_Paper\_-\_Seminars\_Journal.pdf](http://cogprints.org/4738/01/Environ.%5FSensitivity%5FPaper%5F-%5FSeminars%5FJournal.pdf) A **highly sensitive person** (HSP) is a condition hypothesized by [Elaine Aron](http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elaine_Aron&action=edit) in her book, _The Highly Sensitive Person_. It claims that highly sensitive people process sensory data exceptionally deeply and thoroughly due to a biological difference in their [nervous systems](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nervous_systems). This is a specific trait with key consequences that in the past has often been confused with innate shyness, inhibitedness, innate fearfulness, introversion, and so on. [1] ([Sensory processing sensitivity - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highly_sensitive_person#_note-articles)) Although the term is primarily used to describe humans, the trait is present in nearly all higher animals. The term highly sensitive person was coined by Dr. Elaine N. Aron in 1996, and the name is gaining popularity because it presents the trait in a positive light. Other names used to describe the trait in literature include ‘introverted emotional temperament’, ‘chronic cortical/cortisol arousal’, ‘hypervigilance’, and ‘innate shyness’. The research on sensory-processing sensitivity builds on [OpenDNS](http://Eysenck)’s views on introversion and arousal and [OpenDNS](http://Gray)’s work on the inhibition system. This research in turn builds on [OpenDNS](http://Pavlov)’s work on sensory response to both physical and mental overstimulation, and work by [OpenDNS](http://Jung) and his contemporaries differentiating extroverted and introverted cognitive senstitivity types. [4] ([Sensory processing sensitivity - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highly_sensitive_person#_note-1)) This research shows that about 15-20% of humans and higher animals have a nervous system that is more sensitive to subtleties. This means that regular sensory information is processed and analyzed to a greater extent, which contributes to creativity, intuition, sensing implications and attention to detail, but which may also cause quick overstimulation and overarousal.[3] ([Sensory processing sensitivity - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highly_sensitive_person#_note-books)) This temperament may also have some correlation with continuously high [cortisol](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortisol) levels, which may cause [hypervigilance](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervigilance) and susceptibility to trauma, or the same traumas may encourage hypervigilance, which in turn may contribute to high cortisol. Being highly sensitive may amplify or create psychological issues when overarousal occours. The ability to unconsciously or semi-consciously process environmental subtleties often contributes to an HSP seeming ‘gifted’ or possessing a ‘sixth sense’. Sensitiveness is often confused with shyness, but 30% of HSPs have extroverted personalities. Another common misconception is that only females can be HSPs - there are roughly the same number of male HSPs as female. The percentage appears to hold true for all animals possessing this trait.[3] ([Sensory processing sensitivity - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highly_sensitive_person#_note-books)) ---
**Author:** ![chirimoya](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/chirimoya/32/1538_2.png) [@chirimoya](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/chirimoya)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 5:10am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/sensitive-personalities-and-vigilance/2851/2 "2007-04-02T05:10:48Z")
interesting links, especially the last one. the research says HSPs have a nervous system wired to detect subtle clues and then process them at deeper levels, so i’d say that an HSP is probably more able to articulate the effects of [pheromones](https://pheromonelabs.com/shop/). my guess is HSP’s have high verbal ability, so then the question is: are they more sensitive to pheromomes because they are HSPs, or because they are HSPs, are they better able to articulate their experience with pheromones (or possibly both). ---
**Author:** ![toilofday](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/toilofday/32/371_2.png) [@toilofday](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/toilofday)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 6:38am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/sensitive-personalities-and-vigilance/2851/3 "2007-04-02T06:38:12Z")
I’m joining the HSP club. You have no idea how much sence this makes to me. I’m going to have to find this book by Elaine Aron. In regards to hypervigilance, anxiety is my middle name some times. Good find! Ahhhh! I can’t give you any points. I’ll hit you up later. ---
**Author:** ![PheroQuirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9e8a1a/32.png) [@PheroQuirk](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/PheroQuirk)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2007, 4:41pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/sensitive-personalities-and-vigilance/2851/4 "2007-04-05T16:41:34Z")
> [@chirimoya](#): > > interesting links, especially the last one. the research says HSPs have a nervous system wired to detect subtle clues and then process them at deeper levels, so i’d say that an HSP is probably more able to articulate the effects of pheromones. my guess is HSP’s have high verbal ability, so then the question is: are they more sensitive to pheromomes because they are HSPs, or because they are HSPs, are they better able to articulate their experience with pheromones (or possibly both). If I think of all the inarticulate artistic types, I am not sure that an HSP’s sensitivity to mones depends on their (perhaps higher tendency to have an) enhanced verbal ability. I would love to see a questionnaire done for new users when joining to assess whether they are an HSP and then a follow-up done a month later to see what kind of person tends to be attuned to phero effects. ---
**Author:** ![PheroQuirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9e8a1a/32.png) [@PheroQuirk](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/PheroQuirk)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2007, 4:44pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/sensitive-personalities-and-vigilance/2851/5 "2007-04-05T16:44:10Z")
> [@toilofday](#): > > I’m joining the HSP club. You have no idea how much sence this makes to me. I’m going to have to find this book by Elaine Aron. > > In regards to hypervigilance, anxiety is my middle name some times. > > Good find! > > Ahhhh! I can’t give you any points. I’ll hit you up later. Try stuff to balance your autonomic nervous system (you need to enhance the parasympathetic and bring down the sympathetic). Bodywork is one way that works - massage, Alexander, Feldenkais, Rolfing. Acupuncture may also be effective. Also look up some of the techniques that actors use to loosen up before rehearsing/going on stage. All this stuff will make more of a difference than you can imagine…