What Does HSP Stand For?

HSP stands for Highly Sensitive Person, or Highly Sensitive People.

What Is An HSP?

HSPs are people who were born with what the scientific community calls sensory processing sensitivity (SPS).

As the term suggests, HSP's senses process their physical, emotional, and social environment in a more sensitive and deeper way than most.

Approximately 15-30% of people are HSPs.

But wait! 

This phenomenon of high sensitivity is not limited to humans.

High sensitivity has been observed in more than 100+ species, including cats, dogs, birds, fish, horses, and even fruit flies! And yes, it's found at the same ratio: approximately 15-30% of each population.

It's thought that this high sensitivity is an evolutionary strategy to promote survival of the species. After all, sometimes being more innately able to detect faint smells or sounds can give you a survival advantage.

The brains of Highly Sensitive People literally work a little differently than others’. 

This is not a disorder, but simply a biological and neurological trait validated through scientific studies, including fMRIs, or brain scans.

The DOES Acronym for HSPs

DOES is the acronym that summarizes the scientific aspects of high sensitivity.

D stands for Depth of Processing

In studies, HSPs’ brains show more and deeper activity, when processing information.

O stands for Overstimulation

Because we are doing more and deeper processing, HSPs often experience the stress of overstimulation from our environment sooner, too.

E stands for Emotional Reactivity and Empathy

Studies show more activity in mirror neurons in HSPs. Mirror neurons are the specialized brain cells involved with social interaction; they are part of how we learn by imitation, discerns others' intentions, and empathize. This brain activity correlates with how HSPs often experience other people’s emotions as if they were our own.

S stands for Sensing the subtle

There are areas of the brain that handle more complex types of processing and deal with subtler details; this is the area shown to be more active in HSPs. We notice the “little” things.

The D.O.E.S. acronym was originated by Dr. Elaine Aron, who also coined the term Highly Sensitive Person in the 1990s and pioneered the study of high sensitivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

How To Tell If You're an HSP

You can take the self-test at Dr. Elaine Aron's website. 

As her website states: the self-test is not meant to diagnose or exclude the diagnosis of any condition, but it's a great way to get more understanding about being a Highly Sensitive Person.

Here's The Self-Test for HSP Traits

This is the self-test for HSP traits offered through Dr. Aron's website:
at https://hsperson.com/test/highly-sensitive-test