Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; King's College London, Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, UK.
Queen Mary University of London, Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, London, UK.
Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2019 Mar;98:287-305. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.01.009. Epub 2019 Jan 9.
Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) is a common, heritable and evolutionarily conserved trait describing inter-individual differences in sensitivity to both negative and positive environments. Despite societal interest in SPS, scientific knowledge is lagging behind. Here, we critically discuss how SPS relates to other theories, how to measure SPS, whether SPS is a continuous vs categorical trait, its relation to other temperament and personality traits, the underlying aetiology and neurobiological mechanisms, and relations to both typical and atypical development, including mental and sensory disorders. Drawing on the diverse expertise of the authors, we set an agenda for future research to stimulate the field. We conclude that SPS increases risk for stress-related problems in response to negative environments, but also provides greater benefit from positive and supportive experiences. The field requires more reliable and objective assessment of SPS, and deeper understanding of its mechanisms to differentiate it from other traits. Future research needs to target prevention of adverse effects associated with SPS, and exploitation of its positive potential to improve well-being and mental health.
感觉加工敏感性（SPS）是一种常见的、可遗传的和进化上保守的特征，描述了个体对消极和积极环境的敏感性的个体差异。尽管社会对 SPS 感兴趣，但科学知识却落后了。在这里，我们批判性地讨论了 SPS 与其他理论的关系，如何衡量 SPS，SPS 是连续的还是分类的特征，它与其他气质和个性特征的关系，潜在的病因和神经生物学机制，以及与典型和非典型发展的关系，包括精神和感官障碍。作者借鉴了各自的专业知识，为未来的研究设定了议程，以激发该领域的发展。我们的结论是，SPS 增加了对消极环境中与压力相关问题的风险，但也从积极和支持性的经验中获得了更大的益处。该领域需要更可靠和客观的 SPS 评估，并深入了解其机制，以将其与其他特征区分开来。未来的研究需要针对与 SPS 相关的不良影响进行预防，并利用其积极潜力来改善幸福感和心理健康。
