Sensory sensitivity tied to perception, not sharper senses, new study finds

A study of 150 young women found that sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) does not confer sharper hearing, vision, smell, or other senses. Objective lab tests showed no consistent evidence of heightened sensory thresholds, and associations with sensitivity weakened after accounting for neuroticism and extraversion. The findings suggest SPS reflects how people experience and interpret sensory input rather than true sensory acuity, though limitations include the female, young sample and a single-time measurement.