What makes people so sensitive?

Physiologically, senses are what allow humans and most living organisms to interact with the world around them.

Traditionally human beings are seen to have five primary senses; sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. However there are secondary senses such as pain and temperature awareness/control that are being studied.

• How they work
  

The senses work through a complex system of nerve endings and receptor cells called 'sense organs'. Perhaps the most obvious of these is the skin, which contains receptors for touch and temperature, or the tongue which contains taste buds or taste receptors.

Cell receptors work by responding to stimuli sent to them by nerve impulses along sensory neurons. These impulses are then interpreted and deciphered by the brain into what we perceive as a sense.

• Emotions

An individual may also be called sensitive if they appear to be over emotional, sometimes interpreted as being in touch with their feelings.

An emotion is a psycho-physiological experience connected to a person's state of mind.

Emotional outbursts are reactions to the body's biochemical output, such as adrenaline, in response to environmental or external influences.

Emotions manifest themselves in a number of ways including, arousal, anger and sadness, particularly in humans.

It is believed that emotions and senses can be controlled and enriched by certain spiritual and physical practices, such as yoga and Buddhism.

• Further Reading

A number of books have been published on this matter and can be purchased from book outlets and online web-stores such as www.amazon.com. Similarly if you would like further information on the physiological aspects of the senses you can find these in biological text books and periodicals.