[Airess3]

It's something I've noticed over the years, when I was in high school I'd get easily distracted by sounds outside of the classroom, e.g. people walking, people talking, vehicle's engines etc and I'd always have a tendency to look up/stop what I was doing when I heard such things. I'd also notice little things like how the lights got slightly dimmer all of a sudden or compared to the day before, some things that other people just wouldn't notice. Now I've been learning to drive for a few months and several times my instructor has commented on my fast & strong reactions. Also my"web-like" senses, how I just notice everything in my surroundings and deduct how they can be potential hazards. Which is good he says but he also says I need to tone it down a bit.

So I was wondering, are any other INTPs hypersensitive to sounds/surroundings?

 

[sink]

Surroundings, not at all really, but sounds - incredibly so. Loud sounds (especially if they're coming from people) always cause me great anxiety. The sound overwhelms me to the point of my mind getting "cluttered" and feeling claustrophobic. At that point I need to find a quiet place where I can calm down enough to hear my own thoughts.

I don't think it has much to do with my personality though. I've always had problems in the (social) anxiety department and it hasn't gotten any easier. I tend to avoid people that are naturally loud (they usually don't have much of value to say anyway and seek attention) as well as loud places, such as night clubs for example. Well, the night club part might have something to do with being INTP.

It's weird though, depending on my mood I can listen to music that I like pretty loud. Although not for a long period of time at once.

 

[joshman108]

I'm not tuned in to them, but I am sensitive to them in a pain way. Lights and sound are just nasty and painful. I'm like gollum. I just wanna sit in a quiet, dark cave.

 

[TheCosmicHeart]

Sounds yes... It's annoying like when I'm trying to focus on a test/exam and the noise from else where can be so distracting

 

[Miss Anne Thrope]

I'm all around sensory sensitive. Noise, scent, light, fabrics, textures of food... Wearing jewelry is even a big deal.
I really don't like public places because it is like everyone wants to shout their casual conversation louder than the next group of people so then that makes other people get louder. It turns into a room full of people trying to talk over other people.
When I am caught in the cross fire of people talking around me it is like I freeze like a computer.

 

[luxurieux]

I'm really sensitive to sounds. I almost get a kind of "sensory overload" sometimes, and it gives me a lot of anxiety. When this happens, I just need to get out of that situation and go off to be by myself. But most of the time when it happens, I'm stuck in a situation where it's not really possible for me to leave.

I'm also pretty sensitive to light, but I think I read somewhere that introverts in general are more sensitive to light/sound, so make of that what you will. Also sensitive to my other senses as well, but they're not as much of a problem for me.

But in general, I'm kind of half and half on being aware of my surroundings. Sometimes I can notice tiny things that no one else would ever pay attention to, but other times I am so lost in my own thoughts that I'm not paying any attention at all to what's going on around me.

 

[Lonewaer]

I'm hypersensitive, yes. Uhm… I don't know what to add.

I shutdown when there's too much noise, or when it's too loud. I just zone out. It's like like when my eyes are too tired, my vision just blurs.

 

[Not that guy]

I find if I am at a place with a lot of people such as a bar or restaurant with lots chatter in the back ground I get burned out. I extend so much energy trying to listen and carry on a conversation with the people I am with that after a few hours it is like the breaker gets tripped and I just shut down.

 

[ann4]

I am not a INTP, but my little brother is. He is very distracted and he says his head hurts when there is a high pitch or a very low bass. When I am explaining something to him and there are two persons talking somewhere nearly, he tends to get distracted and say "she didn't make a correct use of bla, bla, bla" or "OMG, they are talking about Percy Jackson!". My older brother is an INTP too and he gets distracted with lights especially. He wakes up if you turn a soft light on. He notices changes in the ilumination a lot too and he says that his eyes hurt when someone with white pants is sitting in the sun. So yeah, you are not the only one.

(I apologize is you notice some mistakes, I'm Latina and my native language is spanish.)

 

[INTPTurtle]

I'm very sensitive to sounds. It's my number one reason why I don't really like parties. Loud noises easily distract me unless I'm making the noise myself of course. I do like loud music though, but only with earphones in.

P.s.
I'm Dutch so my native language isn't English. Please ignore my grammar and/or spelling mistakes:wink:

 

[Translucent]

I think it comes with Introversion and that the characteristics and traits of Highly Sensitive Persons do fit the criteria of being an Introvert.

As long as it does not interfere with reality on an extreme spectrum of sensitivity such as Misophonia for example then it's totally manageable.

 

[LostScrew]

No leaves can blow in the wind and no bushes can rustle without me noticing and reaching out for a blunt object.

I like my ears to be able to hear extremely low sounds since I'm so good at noticing them, the main reason that I want every single sound-making apparatus than can emit enough decibels to make one's window vibrate to spontaneously explode in a raging ball of fire. Also when I feel extremely sick being exposed to a certain volume of music at a party for instance, the people around me on the other hand have seemingly no problem coping with it despite the fact that I feel like I'm seriously going to faint at any moment. People always used to say I spoke too quietly, that they couldn't hear me and that I should speak up. Now I'm just wondering if it's just everyone else that is half-deaf.

 

[Asphodelle]

Not really, but it could be in part because I compare myself to my INFJ husband, who is hyperaware, hypervigilant, psychically in touch with everything to the point of paranoia. In comparison I'm practically deaf and mute.

 

[MacDruid]

I'm hypersensitive to the kind of noise I'd classify as cacophony. Things like lots of traffic, amped up exhaust systems, busses and trucks, motorcycles, the neighbour's constantly barking dog, and the vibration of the window mounted air conditioner. It can drive me insane and lead me to snap, especially if it's combined with physiological discomfort like heat and humidity, hunger, tiredness or needing the washroom.

I can also get exhausted in noisy crowds like markets, restaurants and busses packed with students (no offence to students, it's just that my street is a main university bus route, and they're quite chatty). There's a distinct feeling of freedom and relief when I finally exit the situation, or the noise dies down. In-ear headphones work quite well, but I can sometimes get a little paranoid if I can't hear anything of what's around me. I dislike earplugs though as I feel having them in increases my body temperature, and I like my ears to "breathe". I have a bit of tinnitus as well, and it takes very little concentration to hear the ringing in my ears.

Like @LostScrew I feel I tend to talk quietly, and sometimes find myself unintentionally overcompensating, leading to slightly startled looks from nearby strangers, like in a restaurant.

I'm not really sensitive to light, but if I'm extremely tired, I can be occasionally startled by sudden movements like a bird flying past the window. Weather seems to affect me quite a bit. I despise heat and humidity, but can exhibit symptoms of SAD in the gloomy winter months, and I get headaches from low pressure systems.

 

[Iama]

I'm hypersensitive to sounds, lights, smells.
Monotonous, repetitive sounds irritate and distract me, and in a certain way they make me feel bad. Also too sharp sounds, like whistling, or too severe ones. Animal noises annoy me, especially the ones of crickets or my neighbour's chickens.
Bright light gives me a headache. In general, I tend to notice changes in the lighting of a room. For example, some time ago my father changed a light bulb in my bedroom. He oriented it a bit differently, but changed the room lighting a lot. Itermittently lights distract me.
Smells are the most obnoxious thing.. I hate scents of any kind, especially too intense ones. Room fragrances give me a headache, some cause me retching. I once had a crisis because my mother had put on a too intense diffusor, and I felt like I couldn't breathe.
I'm told I'm "boring" and I complain about everything, but I'm actually really bad when there are loud sounds, bright lights or intense smells.

 

[MacDruid]

Smells are the most obnoxious thing.. I hate scents of any kind, especially too intense ones. Room fragrances give me a headache, some cause me retching. I once had a crisis because my mother had put on a too intense diffusor, and I felt like I couldn't breathe.

I forgot about smells. I can get quite nauseous and sometimes migraines from paint, lacquer and solvents etc. Heavy perfume, commercial cigarette smoke and exhaust fumes can cause me to hold my breath or fight for air until I can get out of the area, which is not always quickly possible. I have difficulty entering a bathroom after someone's just been in there and especially heavily used public washrooms.

I have a very keen sense of smell, which is weird as my mum and one sibling have absolutely no sense of smell and the other sibling has a limited one. I can tell pretty quickly if food is off. I can smell things from pretty far away that others can't detect. I once smelled tar that no one else could smell. We could't figure out where it was coming from until I scanned the horizon with binoculars and saw that some workers were tarring a roof about half a kilometre away! If I smell burning, I can usually pinpoint what type of burning it is, distinguishing between gas or propane or charcoal barbecues, whether they're firing them up, cooking or cleaning them, wild fires, house fires, overheated electronics, debris on stove elements vs. the oven heating up. If I smell something burning from outside, I'm sometimes checking the apartment from all angles, thinking it's coming from inside.

On the other hand I get immense pleasure from pleasant smells. Ocean, flowers, cedar, coffee, baking, incense, light perfume (depending on the type of scent). Even some bad smells that bring back good memories can be pleasant, like weed (though I don't know why as I've never smoked it), cow pasture (reminds me of bicycle camping in the country), faint skunk smell (not sure why), certain rolled up tobacco or pipe tobacco (reminds me of my grandfather), Du Maurier cigarettes (only this brand as I tried them for about 2 weeks as a teenager when Sonny Crockett was still smoking on Miami Vice). That should tell you about the addictive power of tobacco. That's the only time I tried smoking but I can instantly identify that brand 30 years later, while smoke from other commercial brands make me rile in disgust.

Anyway, yeah, smells.

 

[Twichl]

So I was wondering, are any other INTPs hypersensitive to sounds/surroundings?

No, I prefer to focus my attention onto what I'm doing. I stay in tune, but unless it's unusual or potentially dangerous I ignore it. I had to focus amidst the chaos if I wanted anything to get done.

 

[muslamicinfidel]

I'm hypersensitive bordering on paranoia. Strangely though, i can listen to loud house music or drum and bass whilst reading and find it relaxing

 

[EraOfTea]

Unless I really dote on it, my sensitivity doesn't really bother me unless I'm particularly finicky or high-strung at the moment. I have a love/hate relationship with food. I like variety (flavors, textures, light/heavy tones) in a dish so it's not uncommon for me to get bored of food rather quickly :/ I also have a love/hate relationship with how plants smell. I generally don't have an affinity towards floral scents, but I especially hate the smell of cut plants/flowers, mainly freshly cut grass and flower bouquets. I can almost taste the chemical distress signals in the back of my throat. To me, they just smell like dying:frustrating: I can also get nauseous from prolonged exposure to pungent smells in enclosed areas, like the perpetual cloud of strong coffee on plane rides or strong perfume in a car. Sometimes I am sensitive to sounds. I can usually hear the electrical humming, ringing, and the pipes of a building. Music is such a fantastic experience for me. I love listening to one song on repeat and focusing on different aspects each time: tempo, duration of each note, the power and dynamics of each instrument and vocal track, etc. Complex pieces can keep me occupied for hoursroud: I'm also usually the first one to notice it's raining lol