Being sensitive, especially in young men, tends to be one such trait. It tends to be something most people don’t see as beneficial, when in fact it can be one of the most useful traits on the planet. In fact, those who are sensitive often times have a different or enhanced view of the world.
The Scientific Evidence
There was a study done back in 2015, in which they gathered 39 participants. 21 of these carried a specific gene variation called ADRA2B which, according to Professor Rebecca Todd, influences the neurotransmitter norepinephrine area of the brain. In layman’s terms, it affects and increases the way we feel emotionally towards positive and negative influences. Those with the gene variant are more sensitive to positive and negative emotional stimulants. The best part? It’s an inherited gene! That means that you being sensitive is something that was built into your DNA. More then that, the study has shown in all 21 participants that their reactions were more enhanced to the stimulants. Not in any negative way, they were just stronger reactions! Essentially, they had the opportunity to see things in a more vivid way to the subtly emotional situation. The area of the brain that was being stimulated, is the part that discovers and translated emotional pleasure and pain. This gives those people a stronger ability to detect and understand these emotional passages. The reason why these passages are so vivid is something that’s being investigated further. What’s important is to know now is the fact that you have such an emotional advantage over those around you. When you feel like you’re being sensitive, it’s not that you are over-reacting to anything. The way you DNA is made up has dictated that you are able to detect and understand emotional stability. You, as a person, are built and crafted in such a way that it’s only natural for you to know when something’s wrong. As a result it makes you more aware of when something amazing or upsetting is happening.
You Aren’t Just Being “Sensitive”
It’s not a matter of you just being overly sensitive to everything. Often times if that’s the case, you realize that and adjust quickly. If it’s something that is truly frustrating, your sensitive mind will alert you to the fact that something isn’t right. More then that, you’ll often be aware of any inconsistencies in people’s emotions quicker as a result of this variant. You can train yourself to become aware of people who are being incongruent with you, saying one thing with their mouths but their body language is saying something completely different. Those periods where you think that something is wrong and its bothering you, but you’re not sure if your right? That’s your body telling you that it’s something to be aware of and watch. Right now, it may even feel as if you’re just pushing everything away until you explode and get into a massive argument. Because your reactions to emotional situations are so prominent, it basically turns you into a beacon to help guide people to emotional stability. It gives you the chance to make sure that people are emotionally healthy, because you’ll react to the emotions in the room. You become the person that can easily pick up when things are going wrong, simply because your mind is built for that reason. When you detect things are wrong, then you have the ability to help and support those who need it. Being the support system someone may not even be aware they need? That sounds like a heck of a bonus to being sensitive. Featured photo credit: Ed Gregory via Stokpic via stokpic.com
