What Is a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)?

Why Sensitivity Is a Nervous System Trait — Not a Weakness

Many adults search late at night:

  • “Why do I feel everything so deeply?”

  • “Am I too sensitive or just overwhelmed?”

  • “Is being an HSP a real thing?”

If you’ve ever felt emotionally exhausted by “normal” situations, you may be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP).

What Is HSP (Highly Sensitive Person)?

HSP is not a mental illness.
It is a biological trait identified by psychologist Dr. Elaine Aron, describing people with heightened sensory and emotional processing.

HSPs tend to:

  • Process information deeply

  • Feel emotions intensely (theirs and others’)

  • Be easily overstimulated

  • Notice subtleties others miss

This is about nervous system sensitivity, not fragility.

Famous HSP: Emma Watson

Emma Watson has spoken openly about being deeply sensitive and emotionally affected by environments, pressure, and injustice.

How she manages:

  • Intentional breaks from public life

  • Clear boundaries around work

  • Advocacy aligned with her values

Her sensitivity didn’t disappear — she designed her life around it.




Is HSP a Sickness? Can It Be Cured?

No. And it shouldn’t be.

HSP is:

  • A temperament trait

  • Present from birth

  • Found across cultures

You don’t “treat” HSP.
You regulate, accommodate, and honour it.

Trying to “fix” sensitivity often causes:

  • Anxiety

  • Burnout

  • Emotional shutdown

How Many People Are HSP?

Research estimates:

  • 15–20% of the population are HSP

  • Most are undiagnosed because HSP is not a medical diagnosis

In Singapore, HSP traits are often mislabelled as:

  • “Too emotional”

  • “Weak”

  • “Cannot take stress”

Emotional Factors Common in HSP Adults

  • Emotional overwhelm

  • Deep empathy

  • Guilt when setting boundaries

  • Fatigue after social interaction

  • Strong reaction to criticism

These are signals, not flaws.

Why Is HSP So Hard for Neurotypicals to Understand?

Neurotypical nervous systems:

  • Filter stimulation automatically

  • Recover faster from stress

  • Don’t feel emotions as physically

They often ask:

“Why can’t you just ignore it?”

Because your brain doesn’t work that way

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Can emotional sensitivity be an intelligence — not a liability — in modern society?

For HSPs, sensitivity is perception.
And perception shapes wisdom.

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