High sensitivity is a personality trait studied since 1996 by psychologist Dr Elaine Aron, who coined the term 'Highly Sensitive Person®' (HSP). Aron's research identifies a constellation of traits she calls DOES, Depth of processing, Overstimulation, Emotional reactivity, and Sensing the subtle, present in roughly 15–20% of the population at the higher end of the trait curve. HSP is not a disorder; it's a way nervous systems are calibrated. The closely related research concept is Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS), which has been validated in over 200 peer-reviewed studies.

This HSP Sensitivity Quiz is a self-exploration tool inspired by Aron's DOES framework. Twelve scenarios, walking into a room, sitting with a friend's pain, recovering from a long social day, probe which DOES pattern is most active for you. Most highly sensitive people score moderately on all four DOES dimensions, but one usually dominates as your default lens.