Exploring the Connection Between Highly Sensitive People and External Stimulus

Sensory Processing sensitivity is actually a personality or temperamental characteristic about someone, which involves "a more acute awareness of the emotional and physiological response of another". This is a person who has a greater understanding of how their body feels to another person as compared to those who do not have this type of sensitivity. It is the ability to accurately interpret the feelings of another without experiencing any emotional response. This means that you can teach yourself how to feel what someone else is feeling or how they are thinking without having to affect your emotional state in the process. If you could master this ability, you would be able to know when they are lying or being manipulative, thus becoming more aware of them in turn.


Emotional Response Sensitivity is the other aspect of this particular personality trait, which refers to how strongly their emotions are affected by external stimuli. Highly sensitive people are easily affected by feelings of anger, fear or even embarrassment. They have a strong reaction to even the smallest things, which makes it very difficult for them to function normally in any social environment. High sensitivity means that they have an extremely difficult time deciding or blocking out these feelings until it has had time to build up. This is because the quicker they internalise the experience the more likely they are to do it.

The difficulty with highly sensitive people is that they are very quick to anger and are naturally very uncomfortable around others who they consider to be expressing anger too easily. As a result they will tend to keep their distance or withdraw from the situation until the feelings of rejection or anger has subsided. Because of this they will be unable to socialise with other people in the same way as other people might and they might be perceived as withdrawn and aloof. They are also likely to be over sensitive to physical contact or touch. The only way to overcome some of these issues is through therapy and learning to face your feelings.

Zeff says there are many other traits which can be associated with sensitivity. He says some people are highly sensitive in areas such as: memory, eye contact, body language, music, humor, sexual attraction, intimacy, time and most importantly, the quality of that we take with us in our daily lives. In fact all of our interactions are linked to some trait of our sensitivity. Therefore, if you dislike someone and you notice they have certain sensitivities towards certain actions or events then that could be a sign of their negative personality and you should avoid them.

Zeff explains how you can identify whether you are a highly sensitive person and then you can begin to learn how to deal with them. One way you can use this assessment in your life is to determine the areas of your life which are particularly hard for you. If you find that you are very sensitive to criticism, you can then try to figure out how you can process information deeply to get the desired results. By finding out what makes you angry you can work on releasing those emotions in order to improve your relationships with others.

Zeff says that there is also a strong connection between highly sensitive persons and external stimuli. External stimuli is basically anything that enters into a person's consciousness and causes them to have a reaction. External stimuli can include various types of music, smells, tastes, feelings and even sounds. The study of this phenomenon will help to better understand the way in which people process information.

Zeff says that a highly sensitive person's mind has an automatic mechanism that tries to protect them from negative emotions. This automatic mechanism triggers all areas of the brain, which includes the mid-brain and the amygdala. When these parts of the brain are activated, they start to send signals which are interpreted by the five senses. A highly sensitive person then only feels things that make him uncomfortable. The good news is that this discomfort is actually good for them because it gives them a mechanism that helps them to escape negative situations.


Zeff says that highly sensitive people tend to be more lonely as compared to other people. This loneliness can then lead to depression and anxiety, which can both lead to more social problems. In addition to this the person can also become easily overwhelmed, which can affect his mental health. Highly sensitive people can therefore be easily overwhelmed by negative feelings, which lead to their social isolation.