Differences Between Introverted And Highly Sensitive People

The differences between introverted and highly sensitive people are often very significant. For starters, according to studies by Elaine Aron, there are also extraverts with high sensitivity. Thus, although both profiles share similar characteristics, they present certain subtleties, nuances and singularities that make them unique and endow them, in turn, with a particular potential.

It has been a long time since Carl Jung introduced the terms introversion and extraversion in his Psychological Types . However, it is noteworthy that errors continue to be made in the interpretation of this personality-related approach. One aspect that we must consider is that these two dimensions are not mutually exclusive, that is, no one is completely extraverted or introverted in all areas of their life.

Jonathan Cheek, an expert in the study of personality at the University of Texas, conducted a study in 2011 to conclude that within introversion, up to four different typologies can be identified. In other words, we want to clarify a simple aspect: many times, we get carried away by terms, labels and definitions that are not always precise.

The human personality and its understanding is an area as complex as it is passionate. Psychological science has sought to establish its foundations since the 1930s. Thus, since Gordon Allport published his book Personality (1936), we have come a long way in understanding it. Therefore, it is important to understand some of its nuances, such as the aspects that establish distances between introversion and high sensitivity.

The differences between introverted and highly sensitive people

It is common to almost exclusively link introversion with high sensitivity, as well as thinking that all introverts are shy and that extroverts need the stimulation of social contexts at all times. Taking on these ideas can make many people feel the weight of contradiction about themselves.

There are, for example, sensitive extroverts. This type of profile usually characterizes many activists, lawyers, social workers… They are professionals who are dedicated to others and suffer what is known as empathy wear. In other words, they feel the need to be in contact with people, but they are not able to put filters on the emotional pain of others.

Understanding the differences between introverted and highly sensitive people can help us better understand and identify these profiles with greater accuracy.

the introverts

Books like The Power of the Quiet by Susan Cain allow us to delve into this personality in detail. Among the many information that he offers us in his work, there is a great similarity with the theories established by Hans Jürgen Eysenck in his time. This pioneering psychologist in the study of personality pointed out that introversion has a genetic origin.

That is, there is a biological factor. For example, it is known that an introvert’s brain does not always receive dopamine when interacting socially. There is a threshold, a limit for a conversation to become tiresome. A limit at which a party stops being fun and becomes suffocating and the person feels the desire to be alone.

In turn, we should also know that not all introverts strongly sympathize with the people around them. Some people don’t emotionally connect with whoever is in front of them, nor are they interested in it.

• Another difference between introverted and highly sensitive people is that, in the former, we can differentiate up to four types:
  • Anxious Introverts (associated with stress and anxiety issues).
  • Social introversion (they avoid certain social contexts due to personal insecurity).
  • Imaginative introversion (very introspective and dreamy people).
  • Reserved introversion (distant, cold and analytical profiles).

highly sensitive people

One aspect that we have already pointed out about high sensitivity is that it also appears in extroverted people. Therefore, we are not facing an “exclusive” feature of introversion. It would, in fact, be a characteristic present in 20% of the population, which, in turn, would present the following factors:

• The highly sensitive person processes his reality in another way. Thus, any perceptual stimulus is experienced with greater intensity.

• The lights, the sounds, the friction of certain types of tissue on the skin, the temperature…. These are all stimuli that can become painful.
• It appears equally in men and women.

Some studies, such as those carried out by Dr. Bianca P. Acevedo, from the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, at the University of California, indicate the following:

• Highly sensitive people have greater brain activation of regions involved in attention, awareness, empathy, and sensory information.
• They suffer, to a greater extent, from disappointments, the weight of other people’s lies…
• They connect intensely with the emotional realities of others.

Important Aspects About Introverted and Highly Sensitive People

Having reached this point, we already know that there are differences between introverted and highly sensitive people. There are nuances that undoubtedly can help extroverted profiles and even many children with hyperactivity to understand, for example, why they feel so much other people’s emotions or why they have so much difficulty dealing with their own emotions.

In these cases, the hue of high sensitivity can make life more intense and even complicated. On the other hand, there are several aspects to consider.

• Introversion is part of a spectrum, in which extremes can cause us serious limitations. We are referring to the anxious introverts who struggle daily with their fears, their insecurities and that clear difficulty in interacting socially.

• The other aspect has to do with high sensitivity. Often, this type of personality can be drawn to the narcissistic people. While the former seeks to attend to the other, the latter takes advantage of empathy and sensitivity to dominate him and thus reinforce his sense of self and his need for control.

As we can see, there are important details that must be considered in both profiles (as in any other). Let’s work, therefore, to maintain balance, to know our potential and the possible edges or weaknesses of our personality in order to ensure our own well-being and happiness.