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hoogbegaafdheid hoogsensitiviteit
Is high sensitivity part of giftedness?
Karolien Koolhof •
In 2020 I wrote an article about the link between giftedness and high sensitivity. Science has since moved on, so I'd like to revisit the subject.
The figure from my 2020 article, that 87% of gifted people are also highly sensitive, comes from a 2016 Dutch study of adults (Van de Ven, Van Weerdenburg and Van Hoof). However, that figure lacks some context. According to the description of that study in Samsen-Bronsveld et al. (2024), around 79% of the comparison group without giftedness also turned out to be highly sensitive. So the difference between the groups was demonstrable, but smaller than 87% suggests. In addition, some of the participants came via an HSP network, they reported for themselves whether they were gifted, and high sensitivity was not tested either.
More research has been done since then, and it paints a more nuanced picture. Valpied (2018) found no clear link between high sensitivity and an IQ of 130 or higher. The group studied was small, though (69 people), so that result is not strong.
De Gucht et al. (2023) compared 636 gifted adults with the general population. Their sensitivity turned out to be not higher but actually lower, especially when it comes to strong emotions and physical reactions to stimuli. On sensitivity to beauty, such as art and nature, they actually scored higher. This is partly related to greater openness to new experiences and fewer negative emotions and less tension (neuroticism).
No difference
Samsen-Bronsveld et al. (2024) looked at 882 Dutch children aged 9 to 12. The top 10% on a cognitive test did not differ from their classmates in high sensitivity. There was one small exception: on one questionnaire they scored slightly higher than the lowest-scoring group. That difference disappeared with stricter cut-offs, namely the top 5% or 3%. The older research by Gere et al. (2009) did show that parents of gifted children reported that their children were more sensitive to stimuli. But those parents filled in the questions themselves, and the children had already been tested before.
High sensitivity therefore does not seem to be a fixed characteristic of giftedness. You can be both, but one doesn't automatically follow from the other. So why does it feel so recognizable to many gifted people?
Not a good picture
The 2024 researchers suggest a few possible reasons. Gifted children who react strongly to their environment stand out sooner and are therefore tested earlier. Someone who is known as gifted therefore doesn't always give a good picture of all gifted people. In addition, the image of the sensitive gifted person comes mainly from practice and from research on overexcitabilities, a concept from Dabrowski. That resembles high sensitivity, but isn't the same.
Research on high-performing schoolchildren sees no link, while mental health professionals do see one. Perhaps gifted people who get stuck seek help sooner, while sensitive gifted children are more often missed in school research. The two kinds of research therefore look at different groups, and the definition of giftedness differs too.
Four characteristics
Scientifically, high sensitivity is called sensory processing sensitivity. Four characteristics are usually mentioned: you process things in depth, you get overstimulated easily, you react strongly emotionally and empathize with others, and you notice small details. There is still debate about this concept, partly because it overlaps with personality traits such as openness and neuroticism.
Many gifted and highly sensitive people recognize themselves in perceiving intensely and having an eye for nuance. Feeling different is also common in both groups. People who adapt strongly in order to fit in lose a lot of energy over time, which can lead to fatigue or burnout. That is recognition from practice. The research above shows it is not a proven shared characteristic.
The differences are clearer. The first is IQ. Giftedness usually starts at an IQ of 130, whereas you don't need a high IQ to be highly sensitive. An IQ test doesn't say everything, incidentally, because giftedness is increasingly seen more broadly, for example with traits such as creativity and strong motivation.
The way of processing differs too. Giftedness is often linked to fast processing. According to Elaine Aron, high sensitivity instead involves 'pause to check': waiting and observing for a moment before taking action. Depth of processing appears in both descriptions. Finally, high sensitivity resembles introversion: both can become overstimulated quickly, and an introvert often thinks first and then speaks.
Self-knowledge
As you can see, research on giftedness and high sensitivity is far from finished (if research ever is). What we do see is that one doesn't automatically imply the other. You can be gifted without being highly sensitive, highly sensitive without being gifted, or both. That's why I ultimately find it more important that you know yourself well than that you know which little label fits you.
Quiet Quality doesn't work with an IQ definition of giftedness. Everyone who recognizes themselves in the (much broader) characteristics of both giftedness and high sensitivity is welcome (alongside other stimulus-sensitive profiles such as introversion, ADHD and autism). Want a no-obligation introduction? Feel free to get in touch.
About the author
- Karolien Koolhof is a coach for introverts and gifted individuals
- Author of the book Introvert Leadership
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