are people that are sensitive alot more likely to suffer deeply in the world?

Question

due to their perceptiveness and insight into the motivations and characteristics of others??

Answer 1

Most likely. However perceptive and insightful people have learned (sometimes the hard way) to detach them selves from the world and observe the comings and goings without any personal involvement.
Don’t take things too personal…it’s a path that leads to great disillusionment and mental anguish.

Answer 2

It's hard to explain....when you're someone that everybody else calls "sensitive", it just seems like you feel *everything* much more deeply than everyone else does, that includes joy and love, as well as pain.... When it comes to suffering, it can be right devastating...I can't explain what it is that causes it, we just seem to feel things more keenly than others...personally, I rather wish I could be more "normal" in that respect, let things roll off of me more easily....Highly sensitive people are about 20% of the population...that leaves 80% of the population telling us not to take things so personally, or that we think too much, or whatever.....the last few years several shrinks have set out to describe highly sensitive people as a personality type, I havn't read all the information, I have browsed through some of the sites from time to time, but havn't had a chance for a thorough study of the information. But if you do a search for Highly Sensitive People, you will come up with numerous links about it, perhaps you will find the insights you seek there...
Here's one to get you started.... http://www.hsperson.com/index.html
The perceptiveness and insight into other's motivations that you mention are useful tools for steering clear of others who might be likely to do harm to you though, and help you steer clear of situations likely to cause suffering, so on that basis one's suffering can also be reduced by high sensitivity as well..

Answer 3

I don't think they necessarily suffer any more "deeply" or intensely, but probably far more often and more frequently. Overly Sensitive types often jump to negative conclusions and think people are being mean when usually they are not. What you feel when you are hurt is universally the same, but if you are overly sensitive you tend to feel hurt more often. I don't think sensitive people have "better" perceptiveness or insight into other peoples motives and characteristics.... I think they can be overly self critical and personalise things far too much.

The world does NOT revolve around one person. One person is not so important that every thing is their fault or to do with them..... If you misunderstand what people are saying, its up to you to check it out, ask for clarifications and to find out if you are being criticised instead of jumping to conclusions and thinking you are when you are not!!

Answer 4

There are 'sensitive' people and 'sensitive' people, just like everyone else. Some feel everything that's goes on around them, some even pick up on 'shadows' of past emotional spikes, in places where events involving large numbers of people and horrendous occurrences. like battle-fields, for example, this can be particularly noticeable.

If one looks around the world it can be said that there is, indeed, a great deal of suffering being experienced at any one time, it has been estimated that war, alone, has killed anything up to 200 million human beings in the last 100 years or so. There is constantly recurring drought and famine in many locations around the world, especially the poorer countries ( by 'Western Economic Standards' ).

There is also a great deal of joy in the world, most people experience some kind of joy in their lives, from time to time, some even achieve this on an almost constant basis.

As another answerer has indicated, the 'sensitive' are attuned to both 'happy' and 'unhappy' emotions, and can indeed experience some amazing 'highs' fuelled by the joy of others.

On balance, it seems to me that, currently, there is still far too much suffering, and it is just as severe as it ever was, and those who are 'feeling' this are, indeed, more likely to suffer as a result, the true 'empath' does literally 'feel' what others feel.

However, what each individual decides to experience those 'feelings' will always remain a personal choice. I expect that many will take exception to this statement, as it is still the 'standard' that we are considered to be the subjects of our emotions, not the controllers of them. But we are here, in my opinion, learning how to choose how to 'feel' about things, rather than be the apparent 'victims' of some non-specific outside 'forces'.

This applies equally, possibly more so, to the 'sensitive', and we too must learn to 'master' our emotional input, and output.

{{{{{{{Cosmic Feelings}}}}}}}

Answer 5

Sensitive is only a part of the person - you mix sensitive and
fragile -

Sensitive gives you WEAPONS - that other people do not have - and ( If i dare speak about myself ) I often understand things or feel them as other persons ( kinds of cartesians ) do not see anything and need hours of dumb analysis to understand the same thing -

Sensitive people are also people who have astrong-sense of orientation ;o))) and know how to self-correct their flaws -

I am 58 and still very sensitive - but I am successful in fields where other kinds of temperaments fail - even management -

let me tell you this consider ants which are invertebrate and Mr X who is vertebrate

The ant is very hard and to pierce is ver y tricky - but then when you succeed, the inner substance of the ant is nothing, and it dies -
The vertebrate can be pierced but then inside it's bone hard - sensitive people belong to the second category and their survival capacities are huge

Answer 6

People who are emotionally intelligent (interpersonal skills) with others, have been shown in studies (Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience/Univ. College London) to have an ability called 'interoception.' It is an ability to read and interpret sensations arising from within your own body, essential to emotional awareness.

Most of our suffering is based on this heightened internal state of awareness. Your sensitivity to body chemistry (even heartbeat) can trigger and influence your thoughts. Yes, it may make you more empathic, but it needs to be mastered. Early imprinted emotional patterns that are anxiety related can be exceedingly challenging but they need to be overcome.

As I always say, remember, you are NOT your feelings, thoughts and perceptions, you are the OBSERVER of them. You are not here to "suffer" but some people become attached to it as their 'specialness.' Not a good idea.

Answer 7

By the very definition of the word, sensitive, yes I would say so. You ever notice the "drama" people have the steeper mood swings? It's because they feel everything to a larger degree. Because you are sensitive, does not necessarily mean that you will suffer, but more things will cause you to feel pain just as more things will cause you to feel joy.

I think it's best described as the cup that holds our joy is carved by the pain we feel.

Answer 8

Yes- but it can go both ways.
A person who is sensitive will feel pain greatly, but also feel joy greatly. They are often vulnerable to their surroundings, and are easily affected by things going on around them. Sensitivity is great because it makes it easier to "live in the moment" and absorb the world- but it's also important that a person doesn't drown his or herself in sensitivity, because if something goes wrong, they will have a hard time pulling themselves out of the gutters.

Answer 9

Yes sensitive people suffer more deeply but they also love more deeply and feel more deeply the whole spectrum that is the rich tapestry of human emotion.

Answer 10

You could,of course,say,imagined motivations and characteristics.Perceptiveness often runs hand in hand with self delusion and persecution complexes.But ,in fact sensitive people will always feel things,whether they suffer or not depends on their attitude and fortitude.