Reclaiming Sensitivity as a Tool for Perception
When I was 12 years old, my mother bought me a copy of The Highly Sensitive Person. Should I have been offended? Maybe… but I was just a child and objectively was sensitive. I could enter a situation and immediately know the sentiment.
This is a fundamental part of our human nature — to sense.
References to sensitivity began in the 13th century; it was originally defined as the capacity to gain perspectives, in particular the body’s ability to receive and analyze sensory information. Words that have derived from the Latin sensus/sentire give us clues into the origins.
Sentiment: a view of or attitude toward a situation or event; an opinion.
Sentient: able to perceive or feel things.
Sensitivity: quick to detect or respond to slight changes, signals, or influences.
Sensitivity is a tool of observation.
There is an entire discipline called Philosophical Sensitivity that draws from this original meaning. It is the pursuit of asking incisive questions about the unexplained and complex parts of the human experience. How helpful is that?
Yet, sensitivity gets a bad rap.
I once told a friend that she was being sensitive, and she erupted into a flood of denial.
I am not being sensitive!
That book given to me as a child started a journey for me to see value in the sensitive life — but my dear friend had been told it was a cross to bear. This may be the case for you too. However, it was not until the 1800s that the meaning evolved to include emotion and feeling.
It is no surprise, then, that when we enter situations that ask for a deepening of sensing and sensemaking, it is hard for us to go there.
While the physical five senses (sight, touch, hearing, taste, smell) that help us “make sense” of the world are undisputed, the invisible sensitivities often go unwanted.
Yet, as the work environment becomes more dynamic, the ability to build awareness through the act of perception will become increasingly paramount. This demands that we lean into some of the human capacities we have lost along the way.
What if we pulled from the power of sensitivity- in our relationships, organizations and communities? What could that unlock?
Deepening sensitivity can increase individual and organizational adaptivity to deal with increasing change and complexity.
In 1859 the naturalist Charles Darwin published On The Origin of Species, a landmark work now considered the foundation of evolutionary biology. Darwin’s study of various species around the world, drawn from long journeys on the Royal Navy sloop HMS Beagle, suggested that it was not the strongest of the species that survive, but those that can adapt to change. Animals and plants that evolve to fit their environment will thrive; those which don’t, can’t survive. Adapt or die. The theory of natural selection was born.
Over 150 years later, we are deep into the most rapid period of change we have ever faced. Globalization, shifting demographics and technological innovation have created an environment and future full of both uncertainty and opportunity. Again, it’s adapt or die.
Increasingly the question facing companies and their leaders (as well as nations throughout the world and even our own homo sapien species) is this: can we adapt fast enough to stay fit for our context? Charting a course in this turbulent environment can feel overwhelming and frenetic.
Sensitivity can be an answer.
Sensitivity is an evolutionary strategy that has been identified in most animals. For example, ahead of the devastating tsunami that hit Asian coastlines in 2004, flamingoes were among the first species to notice that something was wrong. The birds abandoned their low-lying breeding areas for higher ground before the giant waves made devastating impact.
High sensitivity is thought to be an inherent trait in approximately 15–20% of the human population. In brain scans, scientists have shown increased activity in areas associated with awareness, action planning and processing sensory information.
While it may not be innate to everyone, we all can and must build in strategies to heighten our sensitivity. We can learn to practice noticing, observing and processing. The good news is that as we use this capacity, it deepens.
There is a growing body of evidence that the brain does rewire itself in response to mental training. This cognitive flexibility (known as neuroplasticity) occurs in much the same way as your muscles and cardiovascular system develop when they respond to physical training. These cognitive changes in your brain may not be immediately obvious, but over time our perceptual capacity grows.
Look to my previous article for tips on how to build your muscle of sensitivity.
Looking back to my younger self, I am glad that I was too naive to be offended! Next time someone refers to you as sensitive, I hope you take it as a compliment, as an indication that you are learning to quickly detect and respond to slight changes and signals. After all, this is what it means to be adaptable and what is demanded by our changing times.
