Have you ever wondered, “Maybe I'm an HSP”?
HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) describes a trait related to how deeply the nervous system processes information. It's found in about 20% of the population, and it's neither a weakness nor an illness. Understanding your own trait is the first step toward managing it.
Below is a 23-question checklist based on the internationally recognized Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS), developed through the research of psychologist Dr. Elaine N. Aron. Answer with your gut instinct, without overthinking.
HSP Self-Check (23 Questions)
This test helps you objectively understand your innate tendency toward sensitivity. Without overthinking, check the box for anything that generally feels true to you.
How to Interpret Your Results
Based on the number automatically calculated above, here's how to interpret your tendency.
14 or more: Very likely to have the HSP trait
You likely have the HSP trait. Have you often felt more easily tired than those around you? That's not a sign of a weak mind — it's evidence that your high-performance sensors are running at full capacity.
→ Start by choosing one scent that catches your interest from all 9 in the HSP Series, and bring it into your daily care routine. If you want to go deeper, we also recommend the 9-Oil Set.
8–13: You show a somewhat elevated sensitivity
You may not be a full HSP, but your sensors are more sensitive than average. It's also possible your environment, physical condition, or stress level is temporarily heightening your sensitivity.
→ We recommend starting with your first bottle: No.1 | Cleansing.
0–7: Your sensitivity falls within the average range
You're maintaining reasonable boundaries against stimulation from your surroundings. That said, you may still feel strongly drained by specific items — like being affected by other people's moods.
→ If certain specific situations drain you more than others, browse the Tuning Library (by situation) to find a case close to your own.
The 4 Traits of HSP (DOES)
Dr. Aron defines HSP along the following four dimensions (DOES).
D — Depth of Processing
You process information deeply and from multiple angles. This is why decision-making can take time.
O — Overstimulation
Because your nervous system processes so much information, busy environments and long stretches of social contact can be especially draining.
E — Emotional Reactivity
You feel both joy and sadness more intensely than non-HSPs, and tend to take in others' emotions as if they were your own.
S — Sensitivity to Subtleties
You pick up on subtle details and the mood of a room that others tend to miss.
A High Score Doesn't Mean “Weakness”
If many of these questions felt true to you, that isn't a weakness on your part. It simply means your sensory “sensors” are sharper than average, tuned to deeply take in other people's emotions, the mood of a room, and incoming information.
While that can make an overstimulating modern world exhausting, it also comes with real strengths:
- A deep capacity for empathy, able to sit with another person's pain
- A rich sensitivity that's profoundly moved by beauty and art
- Deep insight that picks up on context and risk before others do
What matters isn't denying or trying to break this sharp sensor. From here, it's simply about learning how to work with your own personal sensor — tuning it to fit you.
What to Know Next
Some HSPs fall into special subtypes that this basic test alone doesn't fully capture.
“I can be outgoing and active, but I come home completely wiped out” — you may be an HSS-type HSP, a stimulation-seeking subtype.
“I physically feel other people's frustration or sadness as if it were my own” — you may be an Empath, a subtype specialized in empathy.
To find the real cause behind your particular kind of exhaustion, let's take a closer look at the traits of HSS-type HSP next.
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