View source for Philosophy:Sensory processing sensitivity

{{Short description|Personality trait of highly sensitive people}}
[[File:20190807 SPS block diagram from Greven et al 2019.svg|thumb|upright=1.5 |Characteristics of SPS as graphically summarized by Greven ''et al.'' (review article, 2019)<ref name=Greven_201903/> A person with a high measure of SPS is said to be a '''highly sensitive person''' ('''HSP''').<ref name=Boterberg2016/><ref name=Booth2015/>]]
{{Psychology sidebar}}

'''Sensory processing sensitivity''' ('''SPS''') is a [[Social:Trait theory|temperamental or personality trait]] involving "an increased sensitivity of the [[Biology:Central nervous system|central nervous system]] and a deeper [[Cognition|cognitive]] processing of physical, social, and emotional stimuli".<ref name=Boterberg2016/> The trait is characterized by "a tendency to 'pause to check' in novel situations, greater sensitivity to subtle stimuli, and the engagement of deeper cognitive processing strategies for employing coping actions, all of which is driven by heightened emotional reactivity, both positive and negative".<ref name=Booth2015/>

A human with a particularly high measure of SPS is considered to have "hypersensitivity", or be a '''highly sensitive person''' ('''HSP''').<ref name=Boterberg2016/><ref name=Booth2015/> The terms ''SPS'' and ''HSP'' were coined in the mid-1990s by [[Social:Psychologist|psychologist]]s Elaine Aron and her husband Arthur Aron, who developed the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS) questionnaire by which SPS is measured.<ref name="Booth2015" /> Other researchers have applied various other terms to denote this responsiveness to stimuli that is seen in humans and other species.<ref name=WolfEmergenceResponsive2008/>

According to the Arons and colleagues, people with high SPS make up about 15–20% of the population.<ref name=Boterberg2016/> Although some researchers consistently related high SPS to negative outcomes,<ref name=Booth2015/><ref name=Liss2008/> other researchers have associated it with increased responsiveness to both positive and negative influences.<ref name=DiffSuscep2009/><ref name=BoyceReview2015/><ref name=BoyceEllisBSCorchidDandelion2005/><ref name=VantageSens2013/> Aron and colleagues state that the high-SPS personality trait is not a disorder.<ref name=JournalJung2006/><ref name=201804AcevedoHSBrainVsDisorders/>

==Origin and development of the terms==
Elaine Aron's book ''The Highly Sensitive Person'' was published in 1996.<ref name=SciAm20150504/> In 1997 Elaine and Arthur Aron formally identified<ref name=AronAronJPSP1997/> ''sensory processing sensitivity'' (SPS) as the defining trait of highly sensitive persons (HSPs).<ref name=Booth2015/> The popular terms ''hypersensitivity'' (not to be confused with the medical term [[Medicine:Hypersensitivity|hypersensitivity]]) or ''highly sensitive'' are popular synonyms for the scientific concept of SPS.<ref name=Boterberg2016/>  By way of definition, Aron and Aron (1997) wrote that ''sensory processing'' here refers not to the sense organs themselves, but to what occurs as [[Biology:Sensory nervous system|sensory information]] is transmitted to or processed in the brain.<ref name=AronAronJPSP1997/> They assert that the trait is not a disorder but an innate [[Biology:Instinct|survival strategy]] that has both advantages and disadvantages.<ref name=JournalJung2006/><ref name=201804AcevedoHSBrainVsDisorders/>

Elaine Aron's [[Academic journal|academic journal]] articles as well as [[Philosophy:Self-help|self-help]] publications for the lay reader have focused on distinguishing high SPS from socially reticent behavior<ref name="SocialReputation1992"/> and disorders<ref name=201804AcevedoHSBrainVsDisorders/><ref name=AronReview2012/> with which high SPS can be confused;<ref name=AdultShyness2005/> overcoming the social unacceptability that can cause low [[Philosophy:Self-esteem|self-esteem]];<ref name=AdultShyness2005/> and emphasizing the advantages of high SPS<ref name=RiouxDiffSusc2016/> to balance the disadvantages emphasized by others.<ref name=Liss2008/><ref name=AdultShyness2005/><ref name=VulnerPlastGenes2009/>

In 2015, journalist Elizabeth Bernstein wrote in ''{{wipe|The Wall Street Journal}}'' that HSPs were "having a moment," noting that several hundred research studies had been conducted on topics related to HSPs' high sensitivity. The First International Scientific Conference on High Sensitivity or Sensory Processing Sensitivity was held at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.<ref name=WSJ20150518/> By 2015, more than a million copies of ''The Highly Sensitive Person'' had been sold.<ref name=Telegraph20151012/>

=== Earlier research ===
Research pre-dating the Arons' coining of the term "high sensitivity" includes that of German medicine professor Wolfgang Klages, who argued in the 1970s that the phenomenon of sensitive and highly sensitive humans is "biologically anchored" and that the "[[Philosophy:Absolute threshold|stimulus threshold]] of the [[Biology:Thalamus|thalamus]]" is much lower in these persons.<ref name=Klages_1978/> As a result, said Klages, there is a higher permeability for incoming [[Biology:Action potential|signals]] from [[Biology:Afferent nerve fiber|afferent nerve fiber]]s so that they pass "unfiltered" to the [[Biology:Cerebral cortex|cerebral cortex]].<ref name=Klages_1978/>

The Arons (1997) recognized psychologist Albert Mehrabian's (1976, 1980, 1991) concept of filtering the "irrelevant", but wrote that the concept implied that the inability of HSPs' (Mehrabian's "low screeners") to filter out what is irrelevant would imply that what is relevant is determined from the perspective of non-HSPs ("high screeners").<ref name=AronAronJPSP1997/>

==Attributes, characteristics and prevalence==
Boterberg ''et al.'' (2016) describe high SPS as a "temperamental or [[Social:Trait theory|personality trait]] which is present in some individuals and reflects an increased sensitivity of the [[Biology:Central nervous system|central nervous system]] and a deeper [[Cognition|cognitive processing]] of physical, social and emotional stimuli."<ref name=Boterberg2016/>

People with high SPS report having a heightened response to stimuli such as [[Medicine:Pain stimulus|pain]], [[Biology:Caffeine|caffeine]], hunger, and loud noises.<ref name=Liss2008/> According to Boterberg ''et al.'', these individuals are "believed to be easily overstimulated by [[Biology:Stimulus (physiology)|external stimuli]] because they have a lower [[Perceptual learning|perceptual threshold]] and process stimuli cognitively deeper than most other people."<ref name=Boterberg2016/> This deeper processing may result in increased reaction time as more time is spent responding to cues in the environment, and might also contribute to cautious behavior and low risk-taking.<ref name=Boterberg2016/>

[[File:2015 Models of environmental sensitivity - based on M. Pluess.svg |thumb |right |upright=1.5| SPS involves responsiveness to both environmental adversity and positive environmental aspects, respectively modeled by the diathesis–stress model and the vantage sensitivity framework.<ref name=PluessIndivDiffEnvSens_2015/>]]
The HSP Scale, initially (1997) a questionnaire designed to measure SPS on a unidimensional scale, was subsequently decomposed into two,<ref name=EvansRothbartTwoConstructs2008/><ref name=TwoSubscales/> three,<ref name=ThreeSubscales/> or four<ref name=FourSubscales/> factors or sub-scales.<ref name=Boterberg2016/> Most components have been associated with traditionally accepted negative psychological outcomes<ref name=Boterberg2016/><ref name=Booth2015/> including high [[Medicine:Stress|stress]] levels, being easily overwhelmed, increased rates of depression, [[Medicine:Anxiety|anxiety]], and  [[Medicine:Sleep disorder|sleep problems]], as well as [[Medicine:Autism|autistic]] traits;<ref name=Boterberg2016/> the [[Philosophy:Diathesis–stress model|diathesis–stress model]] focused on increased vulnerability to negative influences.<ref name=DiffSuscep2009/> However, the [[Philosophy:Differential susceptibility hypothesis|differential susceptibility theory]] (DST)<ref name=DiffSuscep2009/><ref name=BoyceReview2015/> and biological sensitivity to context theory (BSCT)<ref name=BoyceEllisBSCorchidDandelion2005/> and sensory processing sensitivity (SPS)<ref name=EllisDiffSuscEnvt2011/> suggest increased [[Biology:Neuroplasticity|plasticity]] in terms of responsiveness to both positive and negative influences; and the vantage sensitivity (VS) concept emphasizes increased responsiveness to positive experiences.<ref name=VantageSens2013/><ref name=ThibodeauEnvSens2016/> Researchers such as Smolewska ''et al.'' (2006) said positive outcomes were more common in individuals with high aesthetic sensitivity, who tend to experience heightened positive emotions in response to rewarding stimuli and more likely to score high on "openness" on the Big Five factors model.<ref name=PsychometricEval2006/>

Research in [[Biology:Evolutionary biology|evolutionary biology]] provides evidence that the trait of SPS can be observed, under various terms, in over 100 nonhuman species,<ref name=Boterberg2016/><ref name=WolfEmergenceResponsive2008/> Aron writing that the SPS trait is meant to encompass what [[Social:Personality psychology|personality psychologists]] have described under various other names.<ref name=RelatedConcepts/> Conversely, Aron has distinguished SPS from what she considers it is not, explicitly distinguishing<ref name=DistinguishingSPS/> high SPS from possibly similar-appearing traits or disorders (such as [[Social:Shyness|shyness]],<ref name=AdultShyness2005/><ref name=PsychologyToday20120202/> [[Social:Sensation seeking|sensation-seeking]],<ref name=HSPinLove/> [[Medicine:Sensory processing disorder|sensory processing disorder]],<ref name=AronReview2012/> and autism<ref name=JournalJung2006/>), and further, that SPS may be a basic variable that may underlie multiple other trait differences<ref name=AronAronJPSP1997/> (such as introversion versus extraversion<ref name=DistinguishingSPS/>).  Contrary to common misconception, according to Aron HSPs include both introverts and extroverts,<ref name=PsychologyToday20110721/> and  may be simultaneously high-sensation seeking and cautious.<ref name=HSPinLove/>

In humans and other species, responsive and unresponsive individuals coexist and consistently display different levels of responsiveness to environmental stimuli, the different levels of responsiveness having corresponding [[Biology:Evolution|evolution]]ary costs and benefits.<ref name=WolfEmergenceResponsive2008/> This observation parallels Aron's assertion that high SPS is not a disorder, but rather a personality trait with attendant advantages and disadvantages.<ref name=JournalJung2006/><ref name=201804AcevedoHSBrainVsDisorders/> Accordingly, Aron cautions medical professionals against prescribing psychoactive medications to "cure" the trait, which may or may not coexist with an actual disorder.<ref name=HSpersonBook_pp194-195/>

By 2015 the trait had been documented at various levels of study, including [[Social:Personality psychology|temperament]] and [[Philosophy:Behaviorism|behavior psychology]], brain function and [[Philosophy:Sensitization|neuronal sensitization]], and [[Biology:Genetics|genetics]].<ref name=BoyceReview2015/> For example, genetic studies provide evidence that higher levels of SPS are linked to the [[Biology:Serotonin transporter|serotonin transporter]] 5-HTTLPR short/short [[Biology:Genotype|genotype]],<ref name=LichtSerotonin2011/> [[Biology:Polymorphism|polymorphisms]] in [[Biology:Dopamine|dopamine]] [[Biology:Neurotransmitter|neurotransmitter]] genes,<ref name=ChenDopamine2011/> and the [[Biology:Alpha-2B adrenergic receptor|ADRA2b]] [[Biology:Norepinephrine|norepinephrine]]-related gene variant.<ref name=ToddEnhanceVivid2015/>

A 2015 longitudinal study based on army medical records of Swedish men showed a correlation between low resting heart rate and violence and criminality, with the authors theorising that lower sensitivity to stimulation resulted in increased likelihood of risk-taking and sensation-seeking behaviour &ndash; effectively a low sensitivity counterpart to SPS.<ref>[https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2436277 A Longitudinal Study of Resting Heart Rate and Violent Criminality in More Than 700 000 Men]. 
Antti Latvala, Ralf Kuja-Halkola, Catarina Almqvist, et al. 
JAMA Psychiatry. 2015;72(10):971-978. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.1165</ref>

HSP Scale score patterns in adults were thought to be distributed as a dichotomous [[Categorical variable|categorical variable]] with a break point between 10% and 35%,<ref name=AronReview2012/> with Aron choosing a cut-off of the highest-scoring 20% of individuals to define the HSP category.<ref name=Boterberg2016/> A 2019 review article stated that findings suggest people fall into three sensitivity groups along a [[Normal distribution|normal distribution]] sensitivity continuum.<ref name=Greven_201903/>

==See also==
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* [[Medicine:Arousal|Arousal]]
*[[Medicine:Autism|Autism]]
* [[Philosophy:Differential susceptibility hypothesis|Differential susceptibility hypothesis]]
* [[Philosophy:Environmental sensitivity|Environmental sensitivity]]
* [[Philosophy:Evolutionary psychology|Evolutionary psychology]]
* [[Social:Neuropsychology|Neuropsychology]]
* [[Medicine:Neuroticism|Neuroticism]]
* [[Social:Personality psychology|Personality psychology]]
* [[Philosophy:Sensory processing|Sensory processing]]
* [[Social:Social psychology|Social psychology]]
* [[Social:Trait theory|Trait theory]]
*[[Cognition]]
*[[Philosophy:Executive functions|Executive functions]]
*[[Biology:Development of the nervous system|Development of the nervous system]]
*[[Biology:Cultural neuroscience|Cultural neuroscience]]
*[[Biology:Neurodiversity|Neurodiversity]]
}}

==Sources and notes==
{{Reflist |2 | refs=  <!-- NOTE: listing refs here makes wikitext above much easier to read -->

<ref name=Boterberg2016>{{citation |title=Making sense of it all: The impact of sensory processing sensitivity on daily functioning of children |first1=Sofie |last1=Boterberg |first2=Petra |last2=Warreyn |journal=Personality and Individual Differences |year=2016 |volume=92 |pages=80–86 |doi=10.1016/j.paid.2015.12.022 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288687054|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160523023852/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288687054_Making_sense_of_it_all_The_impact_of_sensory_processing_sensitivity_on_daily_functioning_of_children |archive-date=May 23, 2016 |url-status=live |hdl=1854/LU-7172755 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

<ref name=Liss2008>{{citation |title=The relationships between sensory processing sensitivity, alexithymia, autism, depression, and anxiety |first1=Miriam |last1=Liss |first2=Jennifer |last2=Mailloux |first3=Mindy J. |last3=Erchull |year=2008 |journal=Personality and Individual Differences |volume=45 |issue=3 |pages=255–259 |doi=10.1016/j.paid.2008.04.009 |url=http://isiarticles.com/bundles/Article/pre/pdf/31202.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160523040035/http://isiarticles.com/bundles/Article/pre/pdf/31202.pdf |archive-date=May 23, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name=Booth2015>{{citation |title=Sensory-processing sensitivity moderates the association between childhood experiences and adult life satisfaction |first1=Charlotte |last1=Booth |first2=Helen |last2=Standage |first3=Elaine |last3=Fox |date=1 Dec 2015 |journal=Personality and Individual Differences |volume=87 |pages=24–29 |doi=10.1016/j.paid.2015.07.020 |pmid=26688599 |pmc=4681093 }}</ref>

<ref name=Greven_201903>{{cite journal |last1=Greven |first1=Corina U. |last2=Lionetti |first2=Francesca |last3=Booth |first3=Charlotte |last4=Aron |first4=Elaine N. |last5=Fox |first5=Elaine |last6=Schendan |first6=Haline E. |last7=Pluess |first7=Michael |last8=Bruining |first8=Hilgo |last9=Acevedo |first9=Bianca |last10=Bijttebier |first10=Patricia |last11=Homberg |first11=Judith |title=Sensory Processing Sensitivity in the context of Environmental Sensitivity: A critical review and development of research agenda (Review article) |journal=Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews |date=March 2019 |volume=98 |pages=287–305 |doi=10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.01.009 |pmid=30639671 |publisher=Elsevier|doi-access=free |hdl=2066/202697 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

<ref name=EvansRothbartTwoConstructs2008>{{cite journal |last1=Evans |first1=David E. |last2=Rothbart |first2=Mary K. |title=Temperamental sensitivity: Two constructs or one? |journal=Personality and Individual Differences |date=January 2008 |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=108–118 |doi=10.1016/j.paid.2007.07.016 |url=http://www.bowdoin.edu/~sputnam/rothbart-temperament-questionnaires/pdf/ATQ_Sensitivity_InPress_July07.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207200746/http://www.bowdoin.edu/~sputnam/rothbart-temperament-questionnaires/pdf/ATQ_Sensitivity_InPress_July07.pdf |archive-date=February 7, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=February 7, 2016 |df=mdy-all }} ''Negative affect''and ''orienting sensitivity.''</ref>

<ref name=TwoSubscales>Boterberg ''et al.'' (2016): overreaction to stimuli (OS) and depth of processing (DP).</ref>

<ref name=ThreeSubscales>Smolewska ''et al.'' (2006): Aesthetic Sensitivity (AES, having greater awareness of beauty), Low Sensory Threshold (LST, easily unpleasantly aroused by external stimuli), and Ease of Excitation (EOE, easily overwhelmed by stimuli); results showing the (unidimensional) HSP Scale was "a valid and reliable measure of the construct of SPS").  Liss ''et al.'' (2008).</ref>

<ref name=FourSubscales>Per Boterberg ''et al.'' (2016), a "theoretical redefinition" by E. Aron, ''Psychotherapy and the Highly Sensitive Person'' (2010): "DOES" acronym: Depth of processing, Overstimulation, Emotional intensity, Sensory sensitivity.</ref>

<ref name=VantageSens2013>{{cite journal | last1 = Pluess | first1 = Michael | last2 = Belsky | first2 = Jay | year = 2013 | title = Vantage Sensitivity: Individual Differences in Response to Positive Experiences | url=http://www.philosonic.com/michaelpluess_construction/Files/PluessBelsky_2013_Vantage%20Sensitivity%20-%20Individual%20Differences%20in%20Response%20to%20Positive%20Experiences.pdf | journal = Psychological Bulletin | volume=139 | issue=4 | pages=901–916 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126044048/http://www.philosonic.com/michaelpluess_construction/Files/PluessBelsky_2013_Vantage%20Sensitivity%20-%20Individual%20Differences%20in%20Response%20to%20Positive%20Experiences.pdf |archive-date=January 26, 2016 |url-status=live | doi = 10.1037/a0030196 | pmid=23025924}}</ref>

<ref name=VulnerPlastGenes2009>{{cite journal |last1=Belsky |first1=J. |last2=Jonassaint |first2=C |last3=Pluess |first3=M |last4=Stanton |first4=M |last5=Brummett |first5=B |last6=Williams |first6=R |title=Vulnerability genes or plasticity genes? |journal=Molecular Psychiatry |date=2009 |volume=14 |issue=8 |pages=746–754 |doi=10.1038/mp.2009.44 |url=http://hsperson.com/pages/Belsky_2009_Vulnerability_genes_or_plasticity_genes.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606010638/http://www.hsperson.com/pages/Belsky_2009_Vulnerability_genes_or_plasticity_genes.pdf |archive-date=June 6, 2012 |url-status=dead |pmid=19455150 |pmc=2834322 |access-date=January 28, 2016 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

<ref name=DiffSuscep2009>{{cite journal |last1=Belsky |first1=Jay |last2=Pluess |first2=Michael |title=Beyond Diathesis Stress: Differential Susceptibility to Environmental Influences |journal=Psychological Bulletin |date=2009 |volume=135 |issue=6 |pages=885–908 |doi=10.1037/a0017376 |url=http://hsperson.com/pages/Belsky_2009_Beyond%20Diathesis%20Stress%20-%20Differential%20Susceptibility%20to%20Environmental%20Influences.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101207185045/http://www.hsperson.com/pages/Belsky_2009_Beyond%20Diathesis%20Stress%20-%20Differential%20Susceptibility%20to%20Environmental%20Influences.pdf |archive-date=December 7, 2010 |url-status=dead |pmid=19883141 |access-date=January 28, 2016 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

<ref name=BoyceEllisBSCorchidDandelion2005>{{cite journal |last1=Boyce |first1=W. Thomas |last2=Ellis |first2=Bruce J. |title=Biological sensitivity to context: I. An evolutionary–developmental theory of the origins and functions of stress reactivity |journal=Development and Psychopathology |date=2005 |volume=17 |issue=2 |pages=271–301 |doi=10.1017/S0954579405050145 |pmid=16761546 |s2cid=15413527 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7020822 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020174847/https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bruce_Ellis3/publication/7020822_Biological_sensitivity_to_context_I_An_evolutionary-developmental_theory_of_the_origins_and_functions_of_stress_reactivity/links/5458e4940cf2cf516483c099/Biological-sensitivity-to-context-I-An-evolutionary-developmental-theory-of-the-origins-and-functions-of-stress-reactivity.pdf |archive-date=October 20, 2017 |url-status=live }} "Aron and Aron (1997, p. 362) provide an important further elucidation of the reactivity construct in their discussion of sensory-processing sensitivity" (p. 286).</ref>

<ref name=EllisDiffSuscEnvt2011>{{cite journal |last1=Ellis |first1=Bruce J. |last2=Boyce |first2=W. Thomas |last3=Belsky |first3=Jay |last4=Bakermans-Kranenburt |first4=Marian J. |last5=van Ijzendoorn |first5=Marinus H. |title=Differential susceptibility to the environment: An evolutionary–neurodevelopmental theory |journal=Development and Psychopathology |date=2011 |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=7–28 |doi=10.1017/S0954579410000611 |pmid=21262036 |s2cid=9802873 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/49780835 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160704145027/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/49780835_Differential_Susceptibility_to_the_Environment_A_neurodevelopmental_Theory |archive-date=July 4, 2016 |url-status=live }} "DST and BSCT began with a focus on child-developmental processes, whereas SPS started with a focus on cognitive processes in adults" (p. 10).</ref>

<ref name=PluessIndivDiffEnvSens_2015>{{cite journal |last1=Pluess |first1=Michael |title=Individual Differences in Environmental Sensitivity |journal=Child Development Perspectives |date=September 2015 |volume=9 |issue=3 |pages=138–143 |doi=10.1111/cdep.12120|url=http://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/9330 }} "...perhaps the most significant contribution shared across all three frameworks [SPS and DST, BSC] is the notion that sensitive individuals differ not only in their response to environmental adversity but also in response to positive, supportive aspects of the environment".</ref>

<ref name=BoyceReview2015>{{cite journal |last1=Boyce |first1=W. Thomas |title=Differential Susceptibility of the Developing Brain to Contextual Adversity and Stress |journal=  Neuropsychopharmacology|date=2016 |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=141–162 |doi=10.1038/npp.2015.294 |pmid=26391599|pmc=4677150 }} 
"(T)here is an emerging scientific consensus on how 'sensitivity to context' may be instantiated with an intricate and compelling neuroscience" (p. 149). "... a now substantial corpus of evidence ... documenting differences in susceptibility at the levels of temperament and behavior ("The Highly Sensitive Person at p. 146), neuroendocrine physiology, brain structure and function ("Cortical sensory processing sensitivity" at p. 149), neuronal sensitization and responsivity, and allelic and epigenetic variation within genomic structure" (p. 157).</ref>

<ref name=PsychometricEval2006>{{cite journal | last1=Smolewska| first1=Kathy A.| last2=McCabe| first2=Scott B.|last3=Woody | first3=Erik Z.|title=A psychometric evaluation of the Highly Sensitive Person Scale: The components of sensory-processing sensitivity and their relation to the BIS/BAS and "Big Five"| journal=Personality and Individual Differences| volume=40| issue=6| year= 2006| pages= 1269–1279 | doi=10.1016/j.paid.2005.09.022}} See also Kaufman, ''Scientific American'' (2015).</ref>

<ref name=SciAm20150504>{{cite magazine |last1=Kaufman |first1=Scott Barry |title=Shades of Sensitivity |url=http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/shades-of-sensitivity/ |magazine=Scientific American |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208080417/http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/shades-of-sensitivity/ |archive-date=December 8, 2015 |date=May 4, 2015 |url-status=live }} Kaufman explains Smolewska ''et al.'' (2006).</ref>

<ref name=AronReview2012>{{cite journal | last1=Aron | first1=E. | last2=Aron | first2=A. | last3=Jagiellowicz | first3=J. | year=2012 | title=Sensory processing sensitivity: A review in the light of the evolution of biological responsivity | journal=Personality and Social Psychology Review | volume=16 | issue=3 | pages=262–282 | doi=10.1177/1088868311434213 | pmid=22291044 | s2cid=2542035 |url=http://scottbarrykaufman.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Pers-Soc-Psychol-Rev-2012-Aron-1088868311434213.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513150731/http://scottbarrykaufman.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Pers-Soc-Psychol-Rev-2012-Aron-1088868311434213.pdf |archive-date=May 13, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name=JournalJung2006>{{cite journal | last1=Aron | first1=E.N. |title=The Clinical Implications of Jung's Concept of Sensitiveness| journal=Journal of Jungian Theory and Practice |volume=8 |year= 2006 |pages=11–43 | citeseerx=10.1.1.490.9371 }} Discussion re nervous system is, ''inter alia,'' in "Prelude to Research" at p. 14.</ref>

<ref name=AronAronJPSP1997>{{cite journal |last1=Aron |first1=Elaine |last2=Aron |first2=Arthur |year=1997 |title=Sensory-Processing Sensitivity and its Relation to Introversion and Emotionality |url=http://www.hsperson.com/pdf/JPSP_Aron_and_Aron_97_Sensitivity_vs_I_and_N.pdf |journal=Journal of Personality and Social Psychology |volume=73 |issue=2 |pages=345–368 |doi=10.1037/0022-3514.73.2.345 |pmid=9248053 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513032702/http://www.hsperson.com/pdf/JPSP_Aron_and_Aron_97_Sensitivity_vs_I_and_N.pdf |archive-date=May 13, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name=AdultShyness2005>{{cite journal | last1 = Aron | first1 = E. N. | last2 = Aron | first2 = A. | last3 = Davies | first3 = K. | year = 2005 | title = Adult shyness: The interaction of temperamental sensitivity and an adverse childhood environment | journal = Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin | volume = 31 | issue = 2| pages = 181–197 | url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/files/attachments/36190/pspbaronetal05shynesssensitivity.pdf | doi=10.1177/0146167204271419 | pmid=15619591| s2cid = 1679620 }} Note 3 (p. 195) cites Chen ''et al.'' (1992) re social and cultural unacceptability adding to environmental stressors.</ref>

<ref name=RiouxDiffSusc2016>{{cite journal |last1=Rioux |first1=Charlie |last2=Castellanos-Ryan |first2=Natalie |last3=Parent |first3=Sophie |last4=Bitaro |first4=Frank |last5=Tremblay |first5=Richard E. |last6=Seguin |first6=Jean R. |title=Differential susceptibility to environmental influences: Interactions between child temperament and parenting in adolescent alcohol use |journal=Dev. Psychopathol. |date=2016 |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=265–275 |doi=10.1017/S0954579415000437 |pmc=4676730 |pmid=26030853}} "From a clinical perspective, Aron (2010) adds that while sensitive people may be more vulnerable, sensitivity is not only a liability but also may confer advantages."</ref>

<ref name=ThibodeauEnvSens2016>{{cite journal |last1=Thibodeau |first1=Eric L. |last2=August |first2=Gerald J. |last3=Cicchetti |first3=Dante |last4=Symons |first4=Frank J. |title=Application of environmental sensitivity theories in personalized prevention for youth substance abuse: a transdisciplinary translational perspective |journal=Transl Behav Med |date=2016 |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=81–89 |doi=10.1007/s13142-015-0374-4 |pmc=4807189 |pmid=27012256}} "Five distinct but related frameworks comprise ES (environmental sensitivity), including diathesis stress, differential susceptibility theory (DST), sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) [n. 22: A&A 1997], biological sensitivity to context (BSC) [n. 23: Boyce 2005], and vantage sensitivity (VS) [n. 24: Pluess 2013]".</ref>

<ref name=LichtSerotonin2011>{{cite web |last1=Licht |first1=Cecile L. |last2=Mortensen |first2=Erik L. |last3=Knudsen |first3=Gitte M. |title=Association between Sensory Processing Sensitivity and the 5-HTTLPR Short/Short Genotype |date=2011 |url=http://hsperson.com/pdf/Poster_SOBP%20meeting%202011_Licht_030511.pdf |publisher=Center for integrated molecular brain imaging |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606024730/http://hsperson.com/pdf/Poster_SOBP%20meeting%202011_Licht_030511.pdf |archive-date=June 6, 2012 |url-status=live }} ● Licht, C., Mortensen, E. L., & Knudsen, G. M. (2011). "Association between sensory processing sensitivity and the serotonin transporter polymorphism 5-HTTLPR short/short genotype."  ''Biological Psychiatry'', 69, supplement for Society of Biological Psychiatry Convention and Annual Meeting, abstract 510.</ref>

<ref name=ChenDopamine2011>{{cite journal | last1 = Chen | first1 = Chunhui | last2 = Chen | first2 = Chuansheng | last3 = Moyzis | first3 = Robert | last4 = Stern | first4 = Hal | last5 = He | first5 = Qinghua | last6 = Li | first6 = He |last7=Li |first7=Jin |last8=Zhu |first8=Bi | last9 = Dong | first9 = Qi | year = 2011 | title = Contributions of dopamine-related genes and environmental factors to Highly Sensitive Personality: A multi-step neuronal system-level approach | journal = PLOS ONE | volume = 6 | issue =  7| page = e21636 | doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0021636 | pmid = 21765900 | pmc = 3135587 | bibcode = 2011PLoSO...621636C | doi-access = free }}</ref>

<ref name=ToddEnhanceVivid2015>{{cite journal |last1=Todd |first1=R. M. |last2=Ehlers |first2=M. R. |last3=Muller |first3=D. J. |last4=Robertson |first4=A. |last5=Palombo |first5=D. J. |last6=Freeman |first6=N. |last7=Levine |first7=B. |last8=Anderson |first8=A. K. |title=Neurogenetic Variations in Norepinephrine Availability Enhance Perceptual Vividness |journal=The Journal of Neuroscience |date=2015 |volume=35 |issue=16 |pages=6506–6516 |doi=10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4489-14.2015 |pmid=25904801|pmc=6605217 }}  ●  {{cite news |last1=Castillo |first1=Stephanie |title=The Highly Sensitive Person: Emotional Sensitivity May Stem From A Person's Genes, Enhancing The Way They See The World |url=http://www.medicaldaily.com/highly-sensitive-person-emotional-sensitivity-may-stem-persons-genes-enhancing-way-332550|publisher=Medical Daily (IBT Media) |date=May 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511172158/http://www.medicaldaily.com/highly-sensitive-person-emotional-sensitivity-may-stem-persons-genes-enhancing-way-332550 |archive-date=May 11, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name=RelatedConcepts>Paraphrasing Aron and citing Wolf re different names for same or equivalent concepts:
* From "Adult shyness: ..." (2005): ''weak nervous system'' (Pavlov), ''low screening'' (Mehrabian), ''augmenting'' (of stimulation; Petrie), ''reducing'' (of evoked potential; Buchsbaum, Haier, & Johnson), ''reactivity'' (Strelau), ''avoidance temperament'' (Elliot & Thrash), and ''nondisinhibition'' or ''reflectivity'' (Patterson & Newman), and what child temperament researchers have described as ''inhibitedness'' (Kagan), ''infant'' (or ''innate'') ''shyness'' (Cheek & Buss; Daniels & Plomin), ''reactivity'' (Rothbart; Strelau), and ''threshold of responsiveness'' (Thomas & Chess).
* From "The Clinical Implications of Jung's Concept of Sensitiveness" (2006): ''innate sensitiveness'' (Jung),
* From "Adult shyness: ..." (2005): ''arousal focus'' (Feldman), and the physiological differences underlying introversion and extroversion (Eysenck; Stelmack; Stelmack & Geen).
* From Wolf ''et al.'' (2008): ''coping style, reactivity, flexibility, plasticity,'' and ''differential susceptibility.''
</ref>

<ref name=DistinguishingSPS>Paraphrasing Aron re what SPS is ''not'':
* From "'The Power of (Shyness)' and High Sensitivity..." (2012): (re introversion) 30% of HSPs are social ''ex''troverts.
* From "Adult shyness: ..." (2005): SPS doesn't inherently possess shyness' fear of negative social evaluations.
* From p. 2 of "The HSP in love" (<=2007): an HSP who is also a High Sensation Seeker will find ways to have novel experiences without taking ill-considered risks.
* From "... A Review... " (2012): SPS is "unrelated to Sensory Processing Disorder"
* From "The Clinical Implications of Jung's Concept of Sensitiveness" (2006): (re autism) HSPs are very aware of social and emotional cues and relate well socially once familiarity is achieved.
</ref>

<ref name=PsychologyToday20110721>Aron, Elaine N., Ph.D,  [http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/attending-the-undervalued-self/201107/understanding-the-highly-sensitivity-person-sensitive-int "Understanding the Highly Sensitivity Person: Sensitive, Introverted, or Both? | Extraverted HSPs face unique challenges"] ({{webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20130419135127/http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/attending-the-undervalued-self/201107/understanding-the-highly-sensitivity-person-sensitive-int |date=April 19, 2013 }}) ''Psychology Today,'' July 21, 2011.</ref>

<ref name=WolfEmergenceResponsive2008>{{cite journal | last1 = Wolf | first1 = Max | last2 = Van Doorn | first2 = G. Sander | last3 = Weissing | first3 = Franz J. | year = 2008 | title = Evolutionary emergence of responsive and unresponsive personalities | journal = PNAS | volume = 105 | issue = 41| pages = 15825–15830 | doi=10.1073/pnas.0805473105 | pmid=18838685 | pmc=2572984| doi-access = free }} "Such differences in responsiveness (also termed coping style, reactivity, flexibility, plasticity) have been documented in many organisms including ... humans" (n. 15 citing Aron & Aron (1997, SPS) and n. 16 citing Belsky ''et al.'' (2007, differential susceptibility)). Boterberg ''et al.'' (2016) cites Wolf ''et al.'' (2008) for the statement: "research in evolutionary biology provides evidence that the trait of SPS can be observed in over 100 nonhuman species."</ref>

<ref name=PsychologyToday20120202>{{cite web |last=Aron |first=Elaine N. |url=http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/attending-the-undervalued-self/201202/time-magazine-the-power-shyness-and-high-sensitivity |title=''Time'' Magazine: 'The Power of (Shyness)' and High Sensitivity |magazine=Psychology Today |date=February 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20120212223328/http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/attending-the-undervalued-self/201202/time-magazine-the-power-shyness-and-high-sensitivity |archive-date=February 12, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name=HSPinLove>{{cite web |url=http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=53955 |title=The Highly Sensitive Person In Love with Elaine Aron |publisher=WebMD Live Events Transcript |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317141715/https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=53955 |archive-date=March 17, 2018 |url-status=live }} Transcript published October 2007 or before.<!--based on earliest archive at archive.org--></ref>

<ref name=HSpersonBook_pp194-195>{{cite book |last1=Aron |first1=Elaine N. |title=The Highly Sensitive Person |date=1996 |publisher=Broadway Books |pages=194–197 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KZwhAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT312 |chapter=9. Medics, Medications and HSPs|isbn=9780806536705 }} Especially subsections "A Caution About Medical Labels for Your Trait" through "Instant Arousal-Stopping Medications".</ref>

<ref name=SocialReputation1992>{{cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=Xinyin |last2=Rubin |first2=Kenneth H. |last3=Sun |first3=Yuerong |title=Social Reputation and Peer Relationships in Chinese and Canadian Children: A Cross-cultural Study |journal=Child Development |date=1992 |volume=63 |issue=6 |pages=1336–1343 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-8624.1992.tb01698.x |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227668404 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204001551/https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kenneth_Rubin/publication/227668404_Social_Reputation_and_Peer_Relationships_in_Chinese_and_Canadian_Children_A_Crosscultural_Study/links/54ee8a2b0cf2e2830865077b.pdf |archive-date=February 4, 2016 |url-status=live }} <!-- Second link with button to *download* PDF: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227668404_Social_Reputation_and_Peer_Relationships_in_Chinese_and_Canadian_Children_A_Cross-Cultural_Study --></ref>

<ref name=WSJ20150518>{{cite news |last1=Bernstein |first1=Elizabeth |title=Do You Cry Easily? You May Be a 'Highly Sensitive Person' |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/do-you-cry-easily-you-may-be-a-highly-sensitive-person-1431971154 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150601020528/http://www.wsj.com/articles/do-you-cry-easily-you-may-be-a-highly-sensitive-person-1431971154 |archive-date=June 1, 2015 |url-status=live |date=May 18, 2015}}</ref>

<ref name=Telegraph20151012>{{cite news |last1=Lally |first1=Maria |title=Highly sensitive people: a condition rarely understood |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/wellbeing/health-advice/highly-sensitive-people/ |work=The Telegraph |location=U.K. |date=October 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018103243/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/wellbeing/health-advice/highly-sensitive-people/ |archive-date=October 18, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name=201804AcevedoHSBrainVsDisorders>{{cite journal |last1=Acevedo |first1=B |last2=Aron |first2=E |last3=Pospos |first3=S |last4=Jessen |first4=D |title=The functional highly sensitive brain: a review of the brain circuits underlying sensory processing sensitivity and seemingly related disorders |journal=Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B |date=April 2018 |volume=373 |issue=1744 |page=20170161 |doi=10.1098/rstb.2017.0161 |pmid=29483346 |pmc=5832686 |quote= (I)n this review, we compare the neural regions implicated in SPS with those found in fMRI studies of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Schizophrenia (SZ) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to elucidate the neural markers and cardinal features of SPS versus these seemingly related clinical disorders.  We propose that SPS is a stable trait that is characterized by greater empathy, awareness, responsivity and depth of processing to salient stimuli. We conclude that SPS is distinct from ASD, SZ and PTSD in that in response to social and emotional stimuli, SPS differentially engages brain regions involved in reward processing, memory, physiological homeostasis, self-other processing, empathy and awareness. We suggest that this serves species survival via deep integration and memory for environmental and social information that may subserve well-being and cooperation.}}</ref>

<ref name=Klages_1978>{{cite book |last1=Klages |first1=Wolfgang |title=Der sensible Mensch : Psychologie, Psychopathologie, Therapie (The Sensitive Human: Psychology, Psychopathology, Therapy) |date=1978 |publisher=Enke |location=Stuttgart, Germany |isbn= 978-3432898711 |page=133 |edition=1 |language=de|oclc=6710563 }} Klages distinguishes between sensitive and highly sensitive people, classifying artists and "high intellectuals" as an example of the latter.</ref>
}}

==External links==
*{{cite magazine |last1=Bartz |first1=Andrea |title=Sense and Sensitivity |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201107/sense-and-sensitivity |magazine=Psychology Today |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20130419161157/http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201107/sense-and-sensitivity |archive-date=April 19, 2013 |date=July 5, 2011 |url-status=live }}
*{{cite news |last1=Madrigal |first1=Alix |title=She Writes About a Touchy Subject / Book aims to help sensitive people|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1997/07/28/DD28970.DTL |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822085202/http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/She-Writes-About-a-Touchy-Subject-Book-aims-to-2831933.php |archive-date=August 22, 2016 |date=July 28, 1999 |url-status=live }}
* [https://sensitivityresearch.com Sensitivityresearch.com], website run by researchers.


[[Category:Evolutionary psychology]]
[[Category:Neuropsychology]]
[[Category:Personality theories]]

{{Sourceattribution|Sensory processing sensitivity}}