As aHighly Sensitive PersonI always wanted to understand what was happening in my head and how my emotions worked. It seems really important to me because understanding how it works in my head allows me to adapt it to the best. If we understand how a problem happens, we can then find an appropriate solution. We can manage our hypersensitivity.
For those who don't know me yet, my name is Paul and I have aHigh Intellectual Potential (HIP)Today, we will try to understand how the brain of a Highly Sensitive Person works.
In this article, I seek to understand the difference between a hypersensitive brain and a "normal" brain. So I would like to make it clear right away that I might say brain Normal fairly regularly. There's really nothing wrong with that. It's just to make the difference between a hypersensitive brain and a brain that isn't it, so a brain that's implied in the average, in the standard, and therefore normal.
Dopamine influences the brain of highly sensitive people
First we start with the impact of dopamine on the brain. So a little reminder: dopamine is a chemical that circulates in our brain and takes care of the reward. He's often calledreward hormone or reward circuit. You probably heard it that way. Basically when we succeed in certain actions our brain is congratulated by dopamine. It gives him a feeling of well-being, so we're back on our reward idea. This is what happens, for example, when you have a promotion, when you receive a nice check, or when you are part of a social group, when you join a new social group.
Now if we go back to our hypersensitive brain. What's going on?
Well, in fact, there were some scientists in 2011 who tried to find out. I'll give you all the complicated details. (For information, you will find at the bottom of the article the sources used). What they found was that in hypersensitive people there was not one difference in dopamine but rather ten genetic variations (all related to dopamine). To date, they are not yet fully able to explain how these variations differ and their effect is a bit mysterious.
In any case, these 10 genetic variations involve a system of reward that is different. What this means is that hypersensitive people are not as rewarded – or at least not in the same way – as normal people. For example, some may like noisy bars, others may not. Typically my friends love it, I'm upset (or I'm just a little relou !). To make it simple, hypersensitive people receive dopamine shots on situations different from normal people.
Hypersensitivity makes hyperempathic
So that's pretty good for my next part that and social activation of the brain – and you'll see why it's important with dopamine. So here we go on another scientific research where a team of researchers passed MRIs to people who were hypersensitive. They installed them in MRI and showed them images of people (either their partners or strangers). These people showed a photographic emotion, whether it was the joy of sadness anything else. Thus, they were able to observe what was happening in the brain of hypersensitive people when they saw a person expressing emotion. This is shown in the MRI below.
We see, for example, that there are specific areas that are active. In photos A and E we see that it is actually two zones that are responsible for the consciousness. On the D and F is squarely the prefrontal cortex (so really our control center) that is activated. There is also evidence of somatic cortex activity (SRM B). Concretely when you touch a table with your finger, for example, our finger will send a signal to the brain and all the sensory signals of our body, whether it be touching it as an example or smell, taste, etc., go back to the somatic cortex. So we notice that just seeing the image of an emotion hypersensitive people really have physical reactions. Finally, we also see (MRI C) that the ventral tegmental area (I love this name!) is active. And this ventral tegmental area is responsible for many things in the body but among other things for the production of dopamine. So we can see that hypersensitive people are rewarded (their reward circuit is activated) when they make social encounters.
What one can conclude from this experience is that, in hypersensitive people, emotions illuminate the brain completely. But also we can say that the hypersensitive are hyperempathies. They do not just realize and understand the emotions of others (like what one might hear with normal empathy) but they squarely integrate them into the very body. If the person is sad they will not just feel sadness they will Really Be sad. They're emotional sponges.
Other studies have considered this subject a little (hyper-empathy), and for the moment I have not really found any hyper-evident results. So if you have any, don't hesitate to share them with me I would love that. It seems that this empathy is played out in mirror neurons and noradrenaline.
Serotonin deficiency destabilizes emotions
And finally, we end up on the third part of the hypersensitive brain that is serotonin. I don't know if you really know serotonin, but to make it simple it's a neurotransmitter that stabilizes our mood. The more we have a stable mood. If we don't have too much we really have ups and downs and it's a disaster. It's really a schema to simplify, it's not exactly like that, but it's to give the idea.
The concentration of serotonin in our brain is managed by a small transporter who regularly removes it from our brain so that it is renewed, that it is always fresh. Finally, it is really the pace of this carrier that manages our serotonin concentration. So far, the idea is pretty simple. But Mother Nature decided otherwise.
Over time, this carrier has evolved and some people now find a carrier that is much more efficient, much more powerful. It has the sweet name 5-HTTLPR. Since it is much more effective, it tends to eliminate much more serotonin from the brain. At least it eliminates too much for the brain to have time to replace it. So these people have serotonin deficiency. Because of this deficiency, our moods have more ups and downs, there is less emotional regulation.
And now little game: guess who among normal brains and hypersensitive brains have this variation? It's the hypersensitive brains without surprise. So they were really biologically programmed to feel things more intensely and have trouble managing them. It's not right in the head (finally if it's in the head) but there's evidence down there. It's not just a sensation.
Hypersensitive brain: conclusion
So I recap what we know about the hypersensitive brain:
(1) Dopamine, which is used to power the reward circuit, is not distributed in the same way. As a result, individuals with a high sensitivity are not rewarded in the same way and they do not seek the same things.
(2) Hypersensitive people also display hyper-empathy. They capture, analyze and feel the emotions of others. It feeds a feeling of well-being and produces dopamine.
(3) And finally, serotonin is better evacuated (and more actively evacuated) from the brain, so they tend to have less emotional regulation and to be less emotionally stabilized (I don't know if it says so) and feel things stronger, deeper.
Discussion: Is hypersensitivity an evolutionary advantage?
So I'm also doing one last part because by doing my research to make this video I noticed a point I wanted to share with you. I don't know what to think about it, but some people really see hypersensitivity as an evolutionary advantage of Homo sapiens. It seems, according to these people, that hypersensitive people manage to make better decisions because they capture more external stimuli. When a decision has to be made, they better capture all the stimulations of their environment. They are better able to make a more efficient decision, and ultimately have an evolutionary advantage. Kind of like I'mEmotional intelligence improved.
Here I was giving the information there, I'd be curious to see what you think. I really didn't feel like an X-Men. I do not feel privileged over my feelings, even on the contrary sometimes I saw it a little more handicaping (but it can be managed).
Highly Sensitive Brain - FAQ
Why does a Highly Sensitive Person feel the emotions of others so intensely?
The brain of highly sensitive people reacts strongly to the emotions of others by activating several brain zones related to consciousness and empathy. This means that hypersensitive people do not just understand emotions, they feel them physically. This phenomenon is reinforced by increased activity of mirror neurons and a production of dopamine in response to social interactions, making the emotions of others as real as their own emotions.
How does dopamine affect the well-being of a highly sensitive person?
Dopamine, known as reward hormone, works differently in hypersensitive patients due to ten specific genetic variations. These variations influence the reward system of the brain, so that hypersensitive people do not feel rewarded in the same way as others. They can find social activities or specific environments more or less pleasant, which explains why some situations please others but can be overwhelming for them.
Why the moods of a Highly Sensitive Person vary as much?
Hypersensitive patients often have a more effective serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR), eliminating serotonin from the brain faster than normal. This reduction in serotonin results in greater emotional fluctuations and lower mood stability. This biological variation makes hypersensitive people more vulnerable to emotional ups and downs, making them feel more intense and difficult to regulate.
Is it normal for noisy environments to disturb a hypersensitive person so much?
Yes, hypersensitive people are often more affected by noisy or chaotic environments. Their reward system and sensory response differ, which means they can find certain stimuli overwhelming or stressful. This reaction is related to how their brain treats dopamine and sensations, making environments noisy or overcrowded sensoryly unpleasant for them.
How can a Highly Sensitive Person better manage his hypersensitivity?
Understanding the biological mechanisms behind hypersensitivity can help to better manage it. By knowing the peculiarities of dopamine and serotonin, you can identify the situations that give you well-being and the ones that stress you. Practice stress management techniques, such as meditation or deep breathing, and looking for an environment adapted to your sensitivity can also help you navigate the world with more comfort and stability.
Sources:
- Acevedo B., Aron A., Aron E., Brown L., Collins N., Sangster MD., (National Institute of Health), The highly sensitive brain: an fMRI study of sensory processing sensitivity and response to others, 2014.
- Anderson K., Ehlers M., Freeman N., Levine B., Müller D., Palombo D., Robertson A., Todd R., (The Journal of Neuroscience), Neurogenic Variations in Norepinephrine Availability Enhancement Perceptual Vividness, 2015.
- Chen C., Moyzis R., Stern H., He Q., Li H., Zhu B., Dong Q., Contributions of Dopamine-Related Genes and Environmental Factors to Highly Sensitive Personality: A Multi-Step Neuronal System-Level Approach, 2011.
- Dingman M. (Neuroscientically Challenged), Know your brain: cingulate cortex, 2015.
- Fogassi L., Wales V., Rizzolati G., (For Science), Mirror neurons, 1999.
- McIntosh J. (Medical News Today), What is serotonin, and what does it do?, 2020.
- Phelps J., (Psychiatric Times), The Serotonin Transporter Gene: Whats New?, 2015.
- Sander van Doorn G., Weissing F., Wolf M., (National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America), Evolutionary emergence of responsive and unresponsible personalities, 2008.
- Spinalcord, Insular Cortex, 2020.
- Wkipedia, Dopaminergic system.
