The wonderful emotional brain of people with high sensitivity (PAS)

Sometimes it is not easy, sometimes it is difficult to fit into a world with “too many pins”, with too much noise, selfishness and double intentions. The senses of people with high sensitivity (PAS) are as vulnerable as they are privileged, They can feel what others do not perceive, or do so at such a high intensity that the world appears before them with a range of realities that escape others.

What actually makes a highly sensitive person this way? Is genetic? Why do they suffer more than others? Why is love both so intense and painful in your relationships? Why do they enjoy their solitude and at the same time, feel a deep lack of understanding since they were children?

In 2014 A work carried out at Stony Brook University was published, which attempted to explain the particularities of the brain of HSPs, and how it could be differentiated from people who are not, or who at least do not present that characteristic emotional openness.

The results of the work carried out by six researchers were published in the journal “Brain and Behavior“, and then we move on to discover the interesting conclusions. We are sure they will surprise you.

The emotional brain of people with high sensitivity (PAS)

It is estimated that almost 20% of the population has the basic characteristics that define high sensitivity. The usual thing is that they spend a large part of their lives without knowing that they belong to that small group of privileged people, and who, in some way, have had to live with “invisible glasses” that will make them see the world in a different way, and with a more open heart, as well as vulnerable.

Studies carried out at Stony Brook University revealed that People with high sensitivity have an emotional brain endowed with great empathy They are brains fully oriented towards “sociability” and union with their peers.

What does this mean? Basically what was concluded is that the brain processes of these people show an overexcitement in the neural areas related to emotions and with the interaction: They are capable of deciphering and intuiting the feelings of those in front of them, but at the same time, they must face a very basic problem…

The rest of the world lacks the same empathy, therefore there is a clear imbalance between his sensitivity and that of those around him. “They see themselves as different.”

To reach these conclusions, different tests were carried out, such as magnetic resonance imaging, to study the brain processes of people diagnosed with PAS and those who were not. And for this, They were exposed to different stimuli to see the biochemical activity and the different structures that make up the brain. The results were very visible in two aspects:

mirror neurons

We are sure that you have already heard about mirror neurons. They fulfill a social function, which is why they are present especially in humans and primates. Located in the lower frontal cortex of the brain, and very close to the language area, they are mainly related to empathy and our ability to capture, process and interpret the emotions of others.

In people with high sensitivity, the activity of mirror neurons is continuous and very notable since childhood.

The insula

The insula is a small structure located very deep in our brain. It is found in the insular cortex and, in turn, is related to the limbic system, a basic structure in our emotions. It is what gives us that more subjective and intimate vision of reality.

In fact, the scientists in this study call the insula the “seat of consciousness,” since it brings together a large part of our thoughts, intuitions, feelings and perceptions of everything we experience at every moment. And you won’t be surprised to know that In people with high sensitivity, this structure “magical” known as insula presents a great activity compared to those who do not characterize themselves as HSP.

The work also concludes that in addition to being more receptive to visual stimuli related to human faces and emotions, they also have a lower threshold to many physical stimuli such as intense lights or loud sounds, even activating brain structures related to pain. Something curious, there is no doubt.

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Image Courtesy: Kelly Vivanco