10 signs of a highly perceptive person who sees things others don’t

Being a highly perceptive person isn’t easy. If you’re reading this, I bet you already know it. 

You’ve probably felt exhausted many times from receiving emotional cues and signals from other people – even when you weren’t in the mood!

Here are 10 signs that you’re a highly perceptive person who sees things that other people miss. Because trust me, I get it…

1) They know how to read the room instantly

The first thing about a highly perceptive person is that they know how to read a room as soon as they walk into it.

Let me explain.

Someone who’s highly perceptive can sense when something’s “off” instantly! They do this by making quick observations of people, such as by paying attention to body language or their tone of voice. 

But how does it work? Well, highly perceptive people have a keen emotional sense; that means they’ll know when it’s time to leave a function, or if it’s okay to stay longer.

In addition, these people can tell when someone’s insincere or mean – just by taking a look at them.

The games people play in society? They don’t fly under a highly perceptive person’s radar…

2) They get easily overstimulated

The next sign of a highly perceptive person is that they get overstimulated easily. That means they aren’t the best with crowds or large gatherings!

It puts their head in a spin; and that’s because of their keen emotional senses, as I mentioned in my previous point.

Highly perceptive people are unable to shut off these senses, even when it’s inconvenient. And sometimes, it even creates a visceral reaction that makes them feel physically sick.

Yep, it can be serious!

Highly perceptive people also have a low tolerance for loud noises, strong smells, and blinding lights. So don’t take them to the club – especially when it’s packed.

In other words, a highly perceptive person is the friend who always wants to leave early because the vibes are “off”…

3) They don’t like dealing with conflict

Apart from having trouble dealing with sensory overload, a highly perceptive person is averse to conflict.

I know, I know. 

You may be thinking: how do these people function if they can’t deal with conflict?

It’s actually quite simple. Highly perceptive people, being so aware of emotional cues from others, are able to feel how the other person’s feeling. Even if they don’t want to!

Let me give you an example.

Perhaps they’ve been treated badly in a relationship and want to break up (obviously). But their partner is begging them to take him or her back! 

While the highly perceptive person knows they deserve better, they are able to sense their partner’s sadness! And this can cloud their judgment.

Dealing with conflict is challenging for these people because they’ll never know if they’re getting confused by the other person’s feelings.

Maybe you can relate…

4) They often experience intense feelings

Here’s another sign of a highly perceptive person: they experience intense feelings often!

Highly perceptive people are easily affected by their surroundings, be it the emotions of other people or external stimuli like sounds and smells.

That said, even something like seeing a tragic news article on the web can stir up really intense emotions in a highly perceptive person!

It doesn’t just stop there, though.

Being highly perceptive, they not only feel the pain of these people they’ve never met, but they’ll also start to question how THEY would feel in their position.

This can lead them down a rabbit hole!

These are just some examples of things other people don’t see because they aren’t as self-aware as a highly perceptive person. And this brings me to my next point…

5) They’re self-aware (much more than their peers)…

Another thing about highly perceptive people is that they’re extremely self-aware – often to a fault.

And even though I mentioned that it’s hard to take advantage of a highly perceptive person, it’s easy for them to do things like apologize profusely for a small matter.

After all, they’re keenly aware of their shortcomings and are always willing to do better.

Being a highly perceptive person means they spend a great deal of time reflecting on their life – whether it’s the good or the bad.

As a result, they’re able to take their experiences and make something out of them, which gives them…

6) …and they have a vivid imagination

…a vivid imagination! That’s right – and if you’re a highly perceptive person yourself, you may also be someone who has a creative hobby.

This is what gives rise to your vivid imagination.

Being someone who’s got so much to express from what they see in the world, a highly perceptive person needs to have an outlet. Otherwise, they’d probably go mad!

It could be anything from painting to sculpting to photography…the possibilities are endless. But for them, that’s only a good thing.

For a highly perceptive person, having a creative hobby helps them develop their imagination because they’re creating something unique that can’t be found elsewhere in the world.

Highly perceptive people may also have vivid dreams, which they enjoy decoding to see what secrets lie in their mind!

7) They spend most of their time alone

Another sign of a highly perceptive person is that they spend most of their time alone.

It’s true: they prefer their own company over anyone else’s! But that’s totally fine – it’s a personal choice after all, one that they feel strongly about!

Here are some reasons why a highly perceptive person prefers spending time alone:

  • They get confused by other people’s feelings
  • They’re easily overwhelmed by external stimuli
  • They prefer not to deal with conflict

I covered these points earlier, but want to bring them up again because they’re important. Why?

If you’re a highly perceptive person yourself, you may sometimes feel like you’re close to your tipping point (and if that’s the case, don’t worry – I’ve felt the same).

Spending time alone is necessary to help you recharge, especially if you’ve experienced one of the three situations above!

There’s no shame in needing space, even if you need a lot of it…

8) They take some time to open up

This is one of the biggest signs of a highly perceptive person: they take some time to open up to others.

Of course, it doesn’t necessarily mean they have trust issues – it’s much more complex than that!

Here’s a secret: it’s got to do with their keen emotional sense that I talked about earlier, which gives them clues about how other people might feel about them.

If a highly perceptive person meets someone new, they’ll pick up signs from them that a normal person wouldn’t.

Because they’re just naturally that observant!

Sometimes, though, that “hunch” they get isn’t clear at the start…so they prefer to wait it out to see if that person will be worth their time.

If you’re a highly perceptive person, you may have made people frustrated with this trait of yours, but remember: there’s nothing wrong with wanting to guard your energy!

9) They tend to doubt themselves

Here’s another sign of a highly perceptive person: they have a tendency to doubt themselves! Again, this comes back to their ability to feel what other people are feeling.

Maybe they can sense that someone isn’t happy with them – it could be a parent or a teacher – and they’ll start to wonder if they did something wrong!

It’s really important to guard your energy as a highly perceptive person – l mentioned this earlier.

While highly perceptive people can’t stop themselves from picking up on these emotional signals, they can choose how to perceive them.

In these cases, a highly perceptive person might be able to remain self-assured if they remind themselves of the following:

“I am not what other people think about me. These are subjective experiences, and I’ll need to reflect on them further.”

10) They want to stop caring, but can’t

Last but not least, a highly perceptive person may struggle to stop caring so much about people and the world around them.

And this is a thought that may have occurred to them before:

“I want to stop caring, but I can’t!”

As we’ve explored so far, highly perceptive people possess a strong sense of empathy that makes it hard for them to:

  • Stand their ground in conflict
  • Stop apologizing for mistakes
  • Open up to other people

If you’re a highly perceptive person, this can be a good or bad thing depending on how you use your ability. But realize that at the end of the day, you were blessed with it for a reason!

Conclusion

Now that we’ve discussed the signs you may be a highly perceptive person, do you feel less alone? And maybe even less “weird”?

A highly perceptive person’s keen sense of other people’s feelings can help them make lasting connections and potentially even inspire these people.

If this all sounds like you, rest assured: you just need some time to figure out who you are in the world!

Picture of Juliana Mei

Juliana Mei

Juliana Mei is a content writer and marketer who's passionate about finding the best way to position your brand to your audience. She finds joy in art, music and literature, and most importantly, through writing, which she hopes to inspire others by.

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