It can also give you a deeper understanding about the things you do yourself. HSPs are often feeler type personalities which is why EI (emotional intelligence) tends to be highly developed  among us. As a feeler you are more sensitive emotionally then others and even thought you have a heightened EI understanding, you can easily have bouts where you might experience an difficulty controlling your feelings and maybe even act highly irrational at times. Extroverted feeling personalities in MBTI (INFJ/ENFJ primarily) often run into problems here since they are highly emotional but also extrovert their feelings and judgments. This combination can result in heated situations where you act according to feelings and when the situation has passed you might feel you overreacted or acted unreasonable. Fortunately these type of personalities are also concerned about the well-being of others and often seek out to correct any wrongdoings they might have done others. This is important since they value their morals and doing others wrong will in turn cause themselves great emotional pain.

Statistics tell us that most highly intelligent individuals are also HSPs. We are talking about the population here which is considered the top 2%. It seems to be a common tread that an increased sensitivity to stimuli equals greater understanding of concepts, theories and the outside world. It is said that around 15% of the population is highly sensitive to some degree. About 35-50% of the population is introverts. Introverts belongs to the majority among the gifted population, and the top 2% contains almost exclusive introverted, intuitive HSPs.

What people outside these minorities fail to grasp is that being an HSP and especially an gifted HSP also comes with a hefty price. Belonging to a minority often isolates you from the rest. Most humans find security in what is familiar and reject what is not, same functioning as many other animals on this planet. In other words being different can push you away from the norm and make relationships that much harder.

Heightened sensitivity to stimuli is a neurological trait which you are born with and not something that can be changed. Unfortunately for HSPs even thought our brains work differently the world around us still works as suitable for non HSPs. We are expected to think, act, feel and produce results just like other people even though we are not. A heightened sensitivity is not because our sensing organs like eyes, ears or nose are more developed then other people. The sensitivity comes from a lower threshold for stimuli. In other words we need less of everything when other people need more to reach the same level of excitement, feelings or understanding. HSPs don’t need many cups of coffee to get them focused. Watching TV doesn’t make us tired. High pressure and pace doesn’t make us more motivated to work etc. Just a few examples but generally you could say that in a way  it is the complete opposite of ADHD.

The downside of being an HSP is being unable to shut it off. There is no off switch and this is where the problem comes in. With a lower tolerance for stimuli we overload quicker because our capacity is still the same as other people. HSPs are not superhuman even thought we might have exceptional talents because of our sensitivity. We are simply born with a openness to new experiences that others don’t have, a lack of filtering. It is this openness that is a common trait among gifted people. As an HSP and intuitive you can perceive the world in a clearer way then non HSPs who’s world view is primarily based on their previous judgements and experiences. People tend to form who they are and their image of the world through the judgements of their ego. You like this but are afraid of that etc. They react to new experiences based on previous ones and therefor never consider things for what they really are, only for what their ego tells them they think of it. That is an lack of intuition and perceptiveness.

As we all know there are many problems in the world and the majority humans cause themselves. We have a tendency to destroy the environment we live in, scavage our planet until there is nothing left, we are reckless against ourselves and others, wage war against each other over pieces of land, the list is long. What is certain is that the human condition is something entirely different from the rest of the creatures on our planet. An organism that is at war with itself is doomed from the start, and this is what most people fail to realize. There is a widespread close-mindedness in today’s societies and most can’t really perceive what is really happening in the world aside from what their ego tells them. As HSPs and intuitive’s it is important to not judge ourselves like others might do. To not see our unique traits as something to try to change or get rid of because there is nothing wrong with them. Thinking that being like everyone else would make you happier is simply grasping, and grasping won’t give anyone happiness because the grasping never stops.

I think most people would agree that having a higher perceptiveness and caring for the people, animals and environment around you would be a good thing. The planet could sure benefit from having more people with these unique traits and who’s to say that this is not the next step in human evolution? We started as primitive ape like creatures and our minds have evolved considerably since that. The next logical step would indeed be to expand our mind to comprehend the world around us more, now when we have developed the ability to perceive ourselves. That is for sure some great food for thought.

Until next time, thanks for reading!

Alex

PS: Here is some recommended reading on Emotional Intelligence and how it can matter more then IQ:

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I want to talk a bit about INFJs and mental health, something that seem to be a quite popular and reacquiring subject out there. Unfortunately mental health is somewhat a struggle for many INFJs and there are many misconceptions concerning it. Misconceptions in the regard that INFJs would in some way be weaker on a mentally and emotionally level and that would be why many struggle with anxiety and depression. It is true that we are more sensitive then other personalities but that doesn’t necessary equal anything along the lines of weakness. It has been shown that INxx types in general are the ones that often struggle with emotional sensitivity. I would say that a heightened emotional sensitivity is as much a strength as it can make life harder at times. You are merely playing on a completely different playing field then less emotionally evolved people. Being more sensitive to emotions equals a greater understanding and perception of them. It is easy for other people to call you unstable or emotional when they themselves cannot perceive the situation at hand. We all view life through different lenses, but INFJs can often view life throughout multiple lenses, free from conditioning or influence. Being this type of empathic people with often divided personalities is what makes it hard in comparison with others. Yet there is nothing wrong with us or our mental health, simply the fault lies in the rest of the worlds comparison of us with themselves.

The nature of intuition is in not trusting how things appear even thought answers may be laid out in front of you. Always searching for alternative possibilities, clues or hints of the true nature of things. It is no wonder why INFJs can easily feel that they are losing their grip when as an introverted intuitive dominant, your are always changing and  endlessly searching for meaning within yourself and the rest of the world. This is what intuition is meant to do, and in there lies much of the problem when it comes to mental  health issues. You can ask yourself the question that if you no longer trust what you can see and feel with your own senses, does that mean you are mentally ill? An unhealthy version of this would be somebody who is schizophrenic. Yet there are similarities here like being able to view the world unattached from presumptions of how things are and should be. In other words, viewing it free from previous experiences, like you would view it for the very first time. In order for INFJs to draw those incredible conclusions about the nature of things this is what is needed on a mental level. So it is not hard to understand that always operating in this type of functionality comes with certain drawbacks. Like when we get stressed or pressured we can even stop trusting ourselves and our own existence.

How do you handle your thoughts and emotions when they seem even more real then the things happening in the world around you? Here is where our inferior function comes in, and the reason we have this fetish for extroverted sensing is because without it we would lose ourselves completely. It is the counter weight to our intuition which keeps it from tipping off the scale, which is what can happen when we get stressed. The scale can also be tipped in favor of the inferior function under stress, and we start to judge ourselves and who we are from our results in the outside world. This is very much the complete opposite of who we really are as INFJs. Negative life experiences often reinforces negative self value, and this is what happens with INFJs that operate to much in their inferior function. You start to forget who you are and your own value. You forget one of the most special things that you have as an INFJ which is emotional health, morals and values which are pure and unaffected by the external world. Because we all know that you cannot change the opinion of an INFJ, and you cannot force us to believe in anything we don’t.

To wrap this all up I want to share some tips concerning emotional health. If you often struggle with anxiety, negative self thoughts and fears, it is important to remember one thing. You are not your thoughts. The brain is an organ like any other in the body. The heart pumps blood, the stomach digest food and the brain creates thoughts. It is it’s sole function and you cannot stop it from happening. What you can do on the other hand is understand this process and that just because the thoughts are there and pass by in your mind, doesn’t mean they are true.

To master your emotions you need to master your mind. The key to this is mindfulness practise. Here is a book I highly  recommend to get started with mindfulness:

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The notion that science and technology interests are more common for thinking types then feelers is widely know. In many cases this is very much true but concerning INFJs I think this is a misconception. In many case INFJs can be even more interested in these kinds of subjects then thinking types and even more then our thinking type equivalent INTJs. 

The notion that these kind of subjects only interests thinking types I think is very wrong. Thinking types tend to be more rational and logical in their thinking and therefore find things with these types of outcomes more appealing since they make sense for them. Thinking types of course have feeling functions as well to some regard, just as feeler types have thinking functions. When it comes to INFJs we have introverted intuition as our primary function which can also act rational and logical in it’s way of navigating and finding solutions to things. The difference is that instead of seeing just the logical solution like thinking types, we get to see it from all the other angles as well.   

When it comes to picking your profession I think as an INFJ you should not turn away from thinking type professions just because you are primarily a feeler. In many ways it is only better because then you bring a whole set of different skills to the table that others do not, and you can also understand the rational and logical parts as needed. Being   introverted intuition dominants we function on many different levels and we easily comprehend others systems since we are system builders at the core. This is one reason why people say that INFJs can seem to have multiple personalities and not just one, we adapt and learn because we approach everything at it’s core, and not only through an rational and logical lens. We are fluid learners.

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I have played around with music, painting, drawing and other things that lets me express my Se most of my life. I have always been drawn to it and the last couple of years I have begun to understand the implications it can have for an INFJ. It’s a bit of a hate love relationship. It is very easy for me to imagine the perfect outcome of a piece of art in my mind, the ideal of what I want to create. But when put under pressure, self doubt or perfectionistic tendencies can often implicate things and distort your vision. I can start to obsess about details and feel like the results never come out like I imagined them to be, it’s never perfect. This is where the tension comes from playing around to much with our inferior and it can make you grow impatient with yourself and create stress and self doubt.

I’ve seen other articles on blogs that recommend INFJs against career choices that involves our Se. I’m a bit divided in it and I feel INFJs should go down that line of work if they want, as long as they feel that it also brings them happiness. Personally I don’t feel fulfilled without getting to indulge myself in some project using my Se, it is the only time I actually feel free and out of my busy introverted mind. It’s brings me peace inside while working with my Se and since I enjoy doing it, I’ve become talented in this area which makes it easier to pick it as a career choice. I create something in the external world and I feel that bridges the gap between my mind and the external, which I often feel  quite separated from. I like the idea that others get to enjoy what I’ve created and as an intuitive artist I bring a completely different perspective into creating art. When under pressure working in a career choice like this can bring you a lot of stress, but as they say no pain no gain. I believe we can’t function to our full potential until we learn how  to handle our inferior function, and there is no other way then by using it often. Avoiding it will just make you want to indulge in it more and it is a part of you either you like it or nor.

It is good to make sure you also have other interests that let’s your Ni relax alone in it’s natural habitat without Se. I like to read, write and speculate about deep things. The key is balance your functions and know when you are overdoing it and it is doing you more harm then good. If art interests you find your personal perspective in it, the side that lets you use all of your skills as an INFJ and also indulge in your Se as needed. I’m convinced that INFJs can excel well in this area if you learn your limits and what particular set of skills you bring to the table.

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Often the outcome in the real world does not meet up to the envisioned ideal or moral in our mind, it’s not enough and this is where the pressure point for our intuition and inferior function lies. Where we create our stress. This is the source of our perfectionist tendencies, INFJs have the ability to envision a perfect ideal that is not possible to reach in the real world where things are chaotic and much the opposite of what we want. We gain many of our talents from this since we somehow are able to see these solutions that are not based on anything we previously know in the real world. They just appear to us out of the the blue. One theory could be that this has to do with the connection of opposites and our talent of jumping from A to D without having to pass by B and C.

This is where the internal power struggle lies and the part of us which we should all strive to understand better in order to live a life free from stress and anxieties. We create these ideals for everything in our lives. Like how we should behave in situations, how things should play out , how our relationships should be, what job we should have or how we should feel about things. When these ideals turn out the opposite of what we envision them to be we can feel unhappy, full of disappointment and regret. One might even argue the question of what is the point of there existing INFJs and having this ability if our morals and visions can never be actualized in real life.

I think that even though this might bring us much unhappiness in our lives this is how we are meant to be and we should not strive for being something we are not if we ever want to feel good about ourselves. This is our driving force which pushes us forward in our lives and let’s us see and feel things others simply cannot. We need to follow our hearts in this and when things does not turn out how we wished them to, we have to remember that this is how life is. The important part is trusting yourself and staying true to what you think and feel about things, even when life tries to tell you otherwise. Intuition is our key.

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