The study’s aim was to investigate whether gifted people score differently on Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) than the general population, and examine whether any differences can be attributed to differences in Neuroticism and Openness between both samples. Results indicate that gifted people score lower on SPS. This is also true, even more so, for the negative higher-order dimension of SPS (especially “Emotional and Physiological Reactivity”). Regarding the positive dimension of SPS, the gifted sample scores higher (especially “Aesthetic Sensitivity”). These differences regarding the negative and positive higher-order dimension are partially explained by lower scores on Neuroticism and higher scores on Openness of the gifted sample, respectively.

Collaboration between the Health, Medical, and Neuropsychology unit and the Methods and Statistics unit.