A few days ago I blogged about David S. Wilson's new book, Evolution for Everyone, without having read it (there was an extract in The New York Times). Well, I just read it. As I noted Wilson is a thinker with whom I have strong disagreements, but his interdisciplinary vision results in some good food for thought. Look closely at his bibliographies! I will post a review at my other weblog when I have some distance, but I thought I'd jot down a few thoughts/notes which might be of interest to readers. For example:

Highly sensitive people (or animals) are likely to be slow in a novel situation for the simple reason that they are processing new information. They are "stopping to check it out" rather than "forging ahead." Given too much sensory input, highly sensitive people tend to become overwhelmed and withdraw from the situation. This is a form of shyness, but highly sensitive people are not intrinsically shy. After all, the purpose of processing all of that information is to arrive at new solutions to life's problems. A highly sensitive person who succeeds at doing this can become as outgoing and gregarious as someone who is merely "forging ahead." Some individual differences (such as sociability) are not innate but are manifestations of other individual differences (such as information processing) that are....

...

In plain language that anyone can understand, she explains that the trait is normal, is present in about 15 to 20 percent of the population, and exists in about the same proportion in other species. It is a great gift that can also be a liability in some situations. It is especially misunderstood in our own culture, which values toughness and regards extreme sensitivity as abnormal (it's easier to be a highly sensitive person in Asia)....

First, it is probably obvious to regular readers that I am not a highly sensitive person. Second, I have been guilty of characterizing the highly sensitive as abnormal or pathological. Third, if 15-20% is a good estimate of their population level proportion (at least in the USA) I tend to associate in my own life disproportionately with highly sensitive individuals. I will hazard to guess that this psychological morph is an evolutionarily stable strategy amongst humans in part because of the synergistic possibilities of small groups consisting of personalities of various shades which bring their own special talents and propensities to the table.

Labels: Psychology