Is subjective well-being low among Highly Sensitive Persons in Japan？ The relationship between sensory processing sensitivity, life satisfaction, and self-esteem

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the relationship between sensory processing sensitivity and subjective well-being, in terms of life satisfaction and self-esteem, in 4,333 Japanese adults (2,625 men and 1,708 women; mean age=49.05 years, SD=10.84, age range=20–69 years). A one-way ANCOVA indicated that participants in the high sensitivity group had lower life satisfaction and self-esteem than those in the low sensitivity and medium sensitivity groups. After controlling for age, sex, educational level, household income, and marital status, the levels of low sensory threshold and ease of excitation were significantly negatively associated with life satisfaction and self-esteem. Further, there was a significant positive association between aesthetic sensitivity, life satisfaction and self-esteem. These findings suggest that highly sensitive persons in Japan tend to have low subjective well-being, which corroborates the findings of previous foreign studies, whereas the sub-dimensions of sensory processing sensitivity have a different relation to subjective well-being.