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Comment by yojo | Hacker News Reader

I suspect it may have something to do with the sensory processing dial on introverts being a little jacked up. You may find this paper interesting: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3409988/

This bit rings true for me at least:

"We present evidences that support the existance of key neural connectivity between the [highly sensitive trait], higher sensory processing sensitivity, introversion, ectomorphism and creativity... [these] people may process, at the same time, larger amounts of sensory information than usual, making this trait an excellent model to pick up subtle environmental details and cues. However, they feel easily worn out, overwhelmed and exhausted because they sense every single detail while interacting with their environment.[3,4] To recover from such attainable sensory overload, these individuals require more quiet time daily to be alone, as well as additional longer sleep times than those without the HS trait."

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I identify with a lot of what is being said here.

I have a friend that leaves the TV on all the time and it drives me crazy.

I can't find anything in big stores, I don't see how people do it.

I sleep a lot. 10 or 12 hours regularly.

I find myself recently being drawn toward meditation.

Strangely I have always thought that I was not intuitive. I make less eye contact than most people but I am noticing that I notice stuff about people that most people don't. I make so little eye contact, I have thought I have face blindness.

This story reminds of the one about the Maine hermit a few days ago. He claims to avoid looking a people's face because there is "so much information there." He was also very creative.

Jesus, that's my mirror image.

+ My girlfriend makes me watch movies that she never watches. When the movie starts I get sucked in (a movie which I didn't wanna see in first place) and then she starts talking about something else. Trying to keep up both with the movie and her conversations drives me crazy. I talked about this with another two guys, which I like and respect because of their knowledge depth, both came up with same answer: Women (usually) do many things at the same time without paying attention to any of those things. They are able to watch a movie, talk to the phone, listen to the radio... All together.

I feel seriously deprived when I realise I can't do any of those things combined (without getting really, really angry).

I had the same experience once. I decided that it's more important to pay attention to the girl, just ignore the movie and watch it later. When Tivo came out it was like a life saver cuz I could pause live tv and focus on whatever interrupted me.

the Maine hermit was also diagnosed with Asperger's during his confinement, and wasn't at all surprised at the diagnosis.

With the hermit it was a really difficult task,while reading the article, to determine how much of his persona was created by the introversion of forest dwelling, and how much of it was perhaps created by his mental traits (which, actually, may have been the initiating cause for his walking away from society in the first place).

It rings true for me as well, but there's still a floor on it. I like a quieter environment than most extroverts, but there is no such thing as an absolutely silent environment (not unless you spend a lot of money to make one of those soundless rooms).

There's also the matter of acute vs chronic noise. Any steady, constant noise, like a fan or music, I can tune out. Aggressive, sudden noises (like somebody shouting on the street) trigger something primal in me. It attracts my attention and if it's loud enough will even trigger my fight or flight reflex.

It makes me wonder if the reason the sensory processing dial on introverts is a little jacked up is because that trait results in a more sensitive fight or flight reflex.

A professor told me he went once in a "no sound at all" room, and he ended up hearing his blood flowing through his body.

Interesting, I'll have to read that study. I've heard of this in introverts, and agree with it, that's one reason we don't like nightclubs…sensory overload.

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