Some people perceive the world differently from others. This difference cannot be explained by character or personal preference. Psychology and neuroscience describe this as high perceptual sensitivity: The nervous system is more receptive to environmental stimuli.
Individuals with this structure have a low perception threshold. Sounds, expressions, changes in the environment are noticed earlier. What is happening does not only remain at the mental level; it also has a physical counterpart. Therefore, the issue is not “overthinking” but the effect of what is happening on the human being.
For example, I cannot remain indifferent to what is happening in society, especially injustice and injustice. I cannot pass by. This is not a choice; it is the result of perception. I don't have certain thresholds. As soon as I realize what is happening, I cannot mentally push it away.
That's why I write. For me, writing is not a field of expression, but a way of organizing thought. When I am able to write down what is happening, the matter becomes clear; the scattered becomes organized. Writing allows me to establish the distance between perception and thought.
There are values that I attach meaning to: justice, labor, fairness. To the extent that I can connect with these values, my functionality increases. When I am expected to ignore them, I have difficulty.
The main consequence of high perceptual sensitivity is this: These people are not based on routine, but on meaning. What they do, where they are, what they say has to have a meaning. “Getting by” often does not produce solutions; it only postpones them. When internal coherence breaks down, function, not motivation, suffers.
This is more common in artists, academics, teachers and researchers. The common point is not the profession, but the clarity of perception and the need for meaning. Most of the time, career choices are made according to this need. Society tends to see this openness as a problem.
But the real problem is to pretend that there is a single threshold of perception for everyone.
And that, most of the time, is heavier than just passing by.