Am I Emotionally Hypersensitive?

Take this quiz to find out.

Emotional hypersensitivity is a personality trait that plenty of people can identify with. Being hypersensitive can mean being overwhelmed by things in your environment or feeling emotions and empathy really intensely. If you’ve ever been told, “Wow, you’re really sensitive,” then you might actually be hypersensitive!

Not that being emotionally hypersensitive is bad—it’s just a personality trait that some people have. So, answer a few questions, and we’ll tell you if emotional hypersensitivity is something you might have, too.

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Questions Overview

1. How much do other people’s moods affect you?
  1. Strongly. Their mood affects mine in turn.
  2. Somewhat. My mood doesn’t change, but I feel for them.
  3. A little bit, but I don’t let that affect my actions.
  4. Not at all. Their mood is theirs—mine is totally separate.
2. How much do you reflect on your life and the things that happen to you?
  1. I do it a lot.
  2. I do it sometimes.
  3. I do it occasionally.
  4. I don’t do that.
3. Have you ever instinctively known how someone else is feeling, without asking?
  1. Yes, all the time!
  2. Yes, sometimes.
  3. Occasionally, I'll get a hunch.
  4. Not really. I need people to tell me how they feel.
4. What’s your typical reaction to intense sensory input (bright lights, smells, loud noises, etc.)?
  1. Honestly, I get completely overwhelmed.
  2. I get a little anxious and uncomfortable.
  3. It’s a lot, but I can adjust to it.
  4. I don’t really have a reaction. It’s all good!
5. How do you tend to react when your day gets really busy and high-energy?
  1. I need time alone, so I withdraw somewhere quiet.
  2. I need a little “me-time,” so I take breaks from time to time.
  3. I need to vent about it to my friends.
  4. I’m fine—I thrive when things get intense.
6. How do you typically respond to criticism?
  1. Intensely. I take criticism really hard.
  2. I try to put on a brave face, but it hurts deep down.
  3. I sometimes struggle with it, but I can deal with it as long as it’s constructive.
  4. I’m not bothered. It gives me something to work on!
7. When a conflict breaks out, where are you?
  1. Avoiding it at all costs.
  2. Avoiding it unless it directly involves me.
  3. Trying to get past it as quickly as possible.
  4. In the thick of it, trying to sort things out.
8. Do you frequently overthink things, or do you rarely second-guess yourself?
  1. I overthink all the time.
  2. I catch myself overthinking sometimes.
  3. I’m not really an overthinker.
9. What does “solitude” mean to you?
  1. Peace, calm, and a chance to recharge myself.
  2. Comfort, for a while (until I get bored).
  3. Time to do what I want and not worry about others.
  4. Honestly, loneliness. I don’t like a lot of solitude.
10. How often do you pick up on small changes in your environment (like things getting moved around)?
  1. All the time.
  2. Most of the time.
  3. Sometimes.
  4. Rarely.
11. How do you feel about working with groups of people?
  1. It makes me uncomfortable. I prefer solo!
  2. Okay. I prefer 1:1, but I can deal with big groups.
  3. Great. I love group collaborations!
12. Finally, how easily do you get scared?
  1. Very easily. It doesn’t take much to scare me!
  2. I scare easily when it comes to specific things I don’t like.
  3. I think I get scared about as much as the average person.
  4. Not easily at all. In fact, it’s really hard to scare me.

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If that feels accurate to you, it\u2019s important for you to know that emotional hypersensitivity isn\u2019t a bad thing! It\u2019s just a personality trait that lots of other people share, and it gives you some unique strengths.

For instance, you likely find it easier to empathize with people and forge deep, meaningful bonds with them. And, more than that, you notice all the little joys and beautiful things in life that other people miss! At the end of the day, though, hypersensitivity isn\u2019t something to diagnose, and if you feel you might not be hypersensitive, that\u2019s okay, too.","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-With-Being-Highly-Sensitive"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-with-Sensitive-People"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Deal With Being Highly Sensitive","id":923383,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-With-Being-Highly-Sensitive","relUrl":"\/Deal-With-Being-Highly-Sensitive","image":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b7\/Deal-With-Being-Highly-Sensitive-Step-15.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Deal-With-Being-Highly-Sensitive-Step-15.jpg","alt":"How to Deal With Being Highly Sensitive"},{"title":"How to Deal with Sensitive People","id":5922674,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-with-Sensitive-People","relUrl":"\/Deal-with-Sensitive-People","image":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/75\/LR22-TDF-Chrissy-and-Dawn-with-Smiley.png\/-crop-200-200-200px-LR22-TDF-Chrissy-and-Dawn-with-Smiley.png","alt":"How to Deal with Sensitive People"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":2,"text":"You seem sensitive, but maybe not hypersensitive.","meaning":"Based on your answers, you seem to have some of the qualities that make someone emotionally hypersensitive. You might not be hypersensitive yourself, but it seems like you do still have more sensitivity than the average person. For instance, you might get overwhelmed by a lot of environmental stimulation or feel some really intense emotions now and then.

If that sounds like you, great! You may just be sensitive without being hypersensitive. At the end of the day, though, hypersensitivity is a personality trait and not a diagnosis; if you feel you might actually be hypersensitive, that\u2019s okay, too.","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-With-Being-Highly-Sensitive"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-with-Sensitive-People"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Deal With Being Highly Sensitive","id":923383,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-With-Being-Highly-Sensitive","relUrl":"\/Deal-With-Being-Highly-Sensitive","image":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b7\/Deal-With-Being-Highly-Sensitive-Step-15.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Deal-With-Being-Highly-Sensitive-Step-15.jpg","alt":"How to Deal With Being Highly Sensitive"},{"title":"How to Deal with Sensitive People","id":5922674,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-with-Sensitive-People","relUrl":"\/Deal-with-Sensitive-People","image":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/75\/LR22-TDF-Chrissy-and-Dawn-with-Smiley.png\/-crop-200-200-200px-LR22-TDF-Chrissy-and-Dawn-with-Smiley.png","alt":"How to Deal with Sensitive People"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":3,"text":"You don\u2019t seem emotionally hypersensitive.","meaning":"Based on your answers, it doesn\u2019t seem like emotional hypersensitivity is a trait you have. Hypersensitive people tend to get overwhelmed by things like bright light and loud noises, and experience their emotions super intensely.

By comparison, it seems like you don\u2019t experience that. You still feel your emotions, of course, some more intense than others\u2014it\u2019s just not consistently really intense. That means you (like the majority of the population) probably have average levels of sensitivity. Still, hypersensitivity is a personality trait and not a diagnosis; if you feel you might actually be hypersensitive, that\u2019s okay, too.","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-With-Being-Highly-Sensitive"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-with-Sensitive-People"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Deal With Being Highly Sensitive","id":923383,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-With-Being-Highly-Sensitive","relUrl":"\/Deal-With-Being-Highly-Sensitive","image":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b7\/Deal-With-Being-Highly-Sensitive-Step-15.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Deal-With-Being-Highly-Sensitive-Step-15.jpg","alt":"How to Deal With Being Highly Sensitive"},{"title":"How to Deal with Sensitive People","id":5922674,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Deal-with-Sensitive-People","relUrl":"\/Deal-with-Sensitive-People","image":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/75\/LR22-TDF-Chrissy-and-Dawn-with-Smiley.png\/-crop-200-200-200px-LR22-TDF-Chrissy-and-Dawn-with-Smiley.png","alt":"How to Deal with Sensitive People"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""}]" class="quiz_results_data"/>\"Whats<\/picture>","alt":"What's Your Mindset Quiz"},{"title":"How Emotionally Intelligent Am I Quiz","id":14444251,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Emotional-Intelligence-Test","relUrl":"\/Emotional-Intelligence-Test","image":"\"Emotional<\/picture>","alt":"How Emotionally Intelligent Am I Quiz"},{"title":"Aphantasia Test: How Strong Is Your Mind's Eye?","id":14016471,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Aphantasia-Test","relUrl":"\/Aphantasia-Test","image":"\"Aphantasia<\/picture>","alt":"Aphantasia Test: How Strong Is Your Mind's Eye?"}],"number":1},{"text":"A fun personality quiz that'll tell me what character I am!","result":"Cool! Let's change it up and have some fun with these quizzes:","next_quizzes":[{"title":"Which Star Wars Character Am I Quiz","id":14125221,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Which-Star-Wars-Character-Are-You","relUrl":"\/Which-Star-Wars-Character-Are-You","image":"\"Which<\/picture>","alt":"Which Star Wars Character Am I Quiz"},{"title":"What Character Am I Quiz","id":14404059,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/What-Character-Am-I","relUrl":"\/What-Character-Am-I","image":"\"What<\/picture>","alt":"What Character Am I Quiz"},{"title":"What Character Would I Be Reborn As Quiz","id":14890316,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/What-Character-Would-I-Be-Reborn-As-Quiz","relUrl":"\/What-Character-Would-I-Be-Reborn-As-Quiz","image":"\"What<\/picture>","alt":"What Character Would I Be Reborn As Quiz"}],"number":2}]}" class="quiz_questionnaire_data"/>

More About Emotional Hypersensitivity

What is emotional hypersensitivity?

Emotional hypersensitivity is a personality trait describing the way your brain and nervous system react to emotional stimuli. It’s typically defined by a more intense perception of both your emotions and sensory stimuli through which you perceive the world around you. If you’re hypersensitive, you tend to experience emotions and sensory stimuli more profoundly and intensely than most (and everyone is sensitive to some degree; some people are just more sensitive than others).

If you’re hypersensitive, you may tend to get upset easily, feel or be affected by other people’s emotions and moods more strongly, and take things very personally. For instance, you might take a lot of little things to heart that other people might not think twice about, or take longer to recover when feeling emotional pain. It may also be much harder to take criticism, even when it’s intended to be constructive, as people with emotional hypersensitivity tend to feel other people’s words very profoundly.

Little things may even influence your emotions and moods easily, like watching a movie or reading a book. You’re also more likely to pick up small changes in your environment, as well as other people’s moods.

Having such a deep reaction to emotional and sensory stimuli can be overwhelming at times—so how can you manage emotional hypersensitivity when it grows intense?



Coping Methods for Hypersensitivity

Figure out what triggers your hypersensitivity. Not every emotionally hypersensitive person will react to the same stimuli—so what triggers a reaction in you? Once you know the answer to that question, you can be prepared for situations that are likely to affect you more deeply and make adjustments for your comfort (or even avoid them, when possible).

Know your limits. In other words, don’t force something if you know it’ll be really upsetting and overstimulating for you. It’s okay to bow out! Everyone has their own limits, and there’s nothing wrong with sticking to yours. If you really can’t get out of something that you know will trigger your hypersensitivity, you can at least give yourself time to recuperate after.

Find ways to block out stimuli. For instance, if you know loud noises affect you, you can use earplugs or similar devices to limit the stimuli.

Get adequate sleep at night. This is something everyone should be doing, anyway—but when you’re hypersensitive, something as simple as getting a full night of sleep (or even a midday nap) can really help you deal with upsetting stimuli.

Practice mindful meditation. Take time to sit with yourself, be present in the moment, and meditate to get in a calmer, more peaceful headspace. This can help you reflect on your day, your needs, and your emotional state.

Schedule downtime for yourself. Once again, this might seem a little obvious, since it’s good advice for anyone—but if you’re hypersensitive, it’s really helpful for you to rest, unwind, and recharge.

Appreciate yourself. Yes, there are negatives to emotional hypersensitivity—but there are also strengths. You likely have a deeper understanding of your own emotions as well as other people’s, and high levels of empathy. Emotionally hypersensitive people can also be really creative, with a deep appreciation for things like art and music!

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