The DOI matches its Crossref record; 161 of the 161 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Sensory Processing Sensitivity: A Review in the Light of the Evolution of Biological Responsivity
Abstract
This article reviews the literature on sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) in light of growing evidence from evolutionary biology that many personality differences in nonhuman species involve being more or less responsive, reactive, flexible, or sensitive to the environment. After briefly defining SPS, it first discusses how biologists studying animal personality have conceptualized this general environmental sensitivity. Second, it reviews relevant previous human personality/temperament work, focusing on crossover interactions (where a trait generates positive or negative outcomes depending on the environment), and traits relevant to specific hypothesized aspects of SPS: inhibition of behavior, sensitivity to stimuli, depth of processing, and emotional/physiological reactivity. Third, it reviews support for the overall SPS model, focusing on development of the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) Scale as a measure of SPS then on neuroimaging and genetic studies using the scale, all of which bears on the extent to which SPS in humans corresponds to biological responsivity.
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“On the other hand, in supportive environments, such social sensitivity may culminate in an adaptive and “more responsive strategy [that] is partly characterized by being more prone to ‘pause to check’ in a novel situation, being more sensitive to subtle stimuli, and employing deeper or more complex processing strategies for planning effective action and later revising cognitive maps, all of which”
From Adolescent neurobiological susceptibility to social context (2016) · cites this paper as Aron et al., 2012
Citations
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Vantage sensitivity: Individual differences in response to positive experiences.
Pluess, M., & Belsky, J. (2012) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/a0030196 · Cited by 651
“According to Aron, Aron, and Jagiellowicz (2012) about 20% of the population is characterized by a highsensitive personality encompassing a highly sensitive nervous system , increased awareness of subtleties in surroundings, as well as the deep processing of them and a tendency to be more easily…”
BackgroundIndividual Differences in Environmental Sensitivity
Pluess, M. (2015) · Child Development Perspectives · doi:10.1111/cdep.12120 · Cited by 556
“SPS is based on a personality perspective, suggesting that about 20% of people have a high-sensitive personality trait defined by greater awareness of sensory stimulation, behavioral inhibition, deeper cognitive processing of environmental stimuli, and higher emotional and physiological reactivity (4).”
BackgroundGreven, C. U., Lionetti, F., Booth, C., Aron, E. N., Fox, E., Schendan, H. E., Pluess, M., Bruining, H., Acevedo, B. P., Bijttebier, P., et al. (2019) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.01.009 · Cited by 586
Self-citationDevelopmental Adaptation to Stress: An Evolutionary Perspective
Ellis, B. J., & Giudice, M. D. (2018) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-122216-011732 · Cited by 479
“(including both positive and negative emotionality), and behavioral inhibition in novel situations (Aron et al. 2012).”
Differences in sensitivity to parenting depending on child temperament: A meta-analysis.
Slagt, M., Dubas, J. S., Deković, M., & van Aken, M. A. G. (2016) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/bul0000061 · Cited by 429
Metadata
- Authors
- Aron, E. N., Aron, A., & Jagiellowicz, J.
- Affiliations
- Stony Brook University (US)
- Venue
- Personality and Social Psychology Review
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2012-01-30
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 262-282
- ISSN
- 1088-8683 (ISSN-L)
- 1532-7957
- OpenAlex
- W1976465304
- Cited by
- 645
- References
- 158
- Citations by year
- 2026: 88 · 2025: 100 · 2024: 80 · 2023: 58 · 2022: 61 · 2021: 55 · 2020: 35 · 2019: 36 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 32 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 25 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 18.47
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Personality and Social Psychology Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Keywords
- sensory processing sensitivity, animal personality, environmental sensitivity, behavioral inhibition, stimulus sensitivity, levels of processing, emotional reactivity, physiological reactivity, Highly Sensitive Person Scale, temperament, genetic research, neuroimaging
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Emotions, Biological Evolution, Humans, Inhibition, Psychological, Nervous System Physiological Phenomena, Physical Stimulation, Sensation
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