"Ultra-Sensitive? It's in your brain" describes a personality trait called sensory processing sensitivity. The article is quite short, so I have included it below. See if the qualities it lists describe anyone you know. Try taking the short quiz by clicking the link included in the first paragraph. My score was 19.
"People who are highly sensitive in this way tend to look and observe and process things deeply, as opposed to boldly going ahead, says Elaine Aron, professor of psychology at Stony Brook University, who helped pioneer research on the subject in the 1990s. Having vivid dreams and being aware of subtleties in your environment are also characteristic of this temperament, she said. Take this quiz to see if this fits you.
"Now, Aron's group has shown evidence in the brain that these people are more detail-oriented. The study is published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.
"Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to look at the brains of 18 participants. They found that people with sensory processing sensitivity tended to have more brain activity in the high-order visual processing regions, and in the right cerebellum, when detecting minor details of photographs presented to them.
"They are better at noticing subtle details in their environments than people without the trait," said Jadzia Jagiellowicz, lead author and doctoral candidate in the department of psychology at Stony Brook University.
"Sensory processing sensitivity has been associated with introversion, but only loosely - about 30 percent of highly sensitive people are extroverts, Aron said.
"Highly sensitive people probably make good counselors and recruiters, said Jagiellowicz, because of their attention to detail. They are able to more deeply process details as well as emotions, which are good skills in these professions. Accounting, which requires taking in a lot of information at once, may also be a relevant field, she said.
"But the study showed that highly sensitive people do not quickly take in these details; in fact, they spend more time looking at them, so a job that requires a quick assessment of minutiae may not be the best fit, she said."
After taking the quiz included in the article, I was struck by the similarities between the characteristics of a sensitive personality and the results I received after taking the Myers-Briggs Personality Type questionnaire. My type? An INFJ. INFJs have these characteristics in their personality:
- highly intuitive
- very sensitive to emotions, environment, noticing things others do not
- rich inner life - analyze everything
- prefer to work independently
- withdraw from loud noise and conflict
What type are you?
2 comments:
Haha! My score was 22. At least I come by it honestly.
Doesn't surprise me! I think we come from a long line of sensitive folks.
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