High sensitivity is often associated with women. This can make it difficult for highly sensitive men to recognize themselves in descriptions of high sensitivity, or to feel that their experiences are fully represented.
But is high sensitivity actually different in men and women? Do highly sensitive men experience their sensitivity differently at work? And does culture influence how high sensitivity is experienced or expressed?
To explore these questions, we looked at data from our Highly Sensitive and Work(stress) survey, with several thousand respondents from the Netherlands, Spain, Scandinavia, Italy, Brazil, and other countries. The results show that highly sensitive men and women are remarkably similar in many respects. At the same time, some differences are worth exploring.
About the survey
The data come from the Highly Sensitive and Work(stress) survey, conducted by Esther Bergsma of Hoogsensitief.NL. The survey was open to highly sensitive adults aged 18 and over who had work experience.
Participants were asked about various aspects of sensitivity: sensory sensitivity, emotional impact, depth of processing etc. The survey also included a detailed section on work: which conditions help or hinder them, what causes overwhelm and how often it occurs, which symptoms they experience, and what type of management and collaboration style they prefer.
The survey was conducted in eight languages across Europe and Latin America, providing several thousand responses for analysis; 384 HSP men and 3405 HSP women were included in the final analysis.
Highly sensitive men and women are more alike than different
Across most of the characteristics we measured, highly sensitive men and women were remarkably similar.
This included emotional sensitivity to atmosphere, being deeply moved by art or music, experiences of overwhelm, and preferences for social contact at work. Overall, gender explained relatively little of the variation in these aspects of high sensitivity.
This is an important finding for highly sensitive men. The core characteristics of high sensitivity appear to be much more similar across men and women than stereotypes might suggest. There are, however, some differences in how sensitivity is expressed.
Emotional experience and emotional expression are not necessarily the same
Women in the survey reported crying more easily when overstimulated than men did (42% versus 16%). They also reported avoiding violent films and television more often (78% versus 56%) and described themselves as empathetic somewhat more often (87% versus 76%).
Physical sensitivities, including sensitivity to strong smells, irritated skin, and allergies, also tended to be reported more often by women.
These differences should not be interpreted as evidence that men experience emotions or sensitivity less strongly. They may instead reflect differences in how sensitivity is expressed, recognized, or communicated.
This distinction is particularly relevant when we consider how high sensitivity is perceived in society. If certain forms of emotional expression are more visible in women, high sensitivity may more easily be recognized in women than in men.
A newer follow-up study (on empathy) adds an interesting nuance to this picture. Using the more detailed six-facet sensitivity scale (the HSP-R by Pluess, 2025), the study found that men and women still had similar overall levels of sensitivity. However, some differences emerged when looking at individual facets. Women tended to score somewhat higher on facets related to overstimulation and social and sensory reactivity, while men tended to score somewhat higher on facets related to depth of processing and appreciation of subtle positive stimuli.
Some differences also appear in perceived strengths at work
There were differences in how men and women evaluated some of their own abilities at work.
Highly sensitive men more often reported confidence in assessing risk (53% versus 37%) and in their analytical ability (63% versus 51%). Women more often reported being good listeners (73% versus 60%) and having strong organizational skills (56% versus 43%).
These differences are interesting, but they should not necessarily be interpreted as characteristics caused by high sensitivity. They resemble patterns found in the wider, non-HSP population and may therefore reflect broader gender-related expectations or self-perceptions rather than something specific to high sensitivity.
When it gets to be too much
A more revealing question is what happens once that sensitivity meets its limit at work: the point where things simply become too much. Two patterns stood out here, and they don’t tell quite the same story.
Overwhelm builds differently, not more often. Highly sensitive men did not report being overwhelmed more frequently overall; on that measure, men and women look similar again. Almost half of HSPs feel overwhelmed at work daily. Out of the 27 situations we asked about, HSPs identified 13 on average as overwhelming. Topping the list: a bad atmosphere at work, too much noise, and conflict with a colleague. Interestingly, the tasks you might expect to overwhelm a highly sensitive person – presentations , meetings, deadlines, travel – actually scored lowest. Attending a presentation was the least overwhelming situation of all 27 we asked about, at just 19%. Attending a meeting scored 32%, deadlines 48%. It’s the social factors – a bad atmosphere at work (87%), conflict with a colleague (73%) – that HSPs named far more often. In other words, HSPs at work are less troubled by the work itself than by the people and environment around it.
The clearest difference between men and women showed up somewhere else: in how overwhelm builds once multiple stressors hit at the same time. Think of a day with a busy meeting schedule, an argument with a colleague, a looming deadline, and a noisy working environment. A highly sensitive man may handle one or two of these just fine, looking completely composed. However as more stressors stack up, his likelihood of feeling overwhelmed climbs faster than a highly sensitive woman’s does under the same load.
This doesn’t mean highly sensitive men are ‘more sensitive’ than highly sensitive women. It points to something more specific: it’s not the intensity of any single stressor that matters most. It’s how many are piling up at once.
That has a practical implication, and it’s genuinely actionable: watch for stacking, not intensity. If you’re a highly sensitive man, the moment to set a boundary or take a break isn’t when you finally feel overwhelmed. It’s when you notice several separate demands landing on the same day. By the time it ‘feels bad enough’, the curve has usually already gotten steep. 
Burnout tells a different story. Despite that steeper build-up, highly sensitive men were actually less likely to report having experienced a burnout at some point (62%, vs. 71% of women), though at any given moment, the share currently in burnout didn’t differ significantly between the two. We tried to explain that gap using the same overwhelm pattern described above (how many stressors someone reports, how often they feel overwhelmed, age, employment type) and none of it accounted for the difference. It appears to be a real, separate pattern, not a downstream effect of how overwhelm builds. What’s driving it remains an open question.
Does culture make a difference?
We also examined whether cultural context might influence how highly sensitive men experience or express their sensitivity.
We compared men from Southern Europe and Latin America with men from Northern Europe. The hypothesis was that, in cultures where emotional expression is more socially accepted, highly sensitive men might experience or express their sensitivity differently.
We looked at emotional sensitivity, symptoms of overwhelm, crying, social needs at work, burnout, and the relationship between accumulated stressors and overwhelm.
In this survey, we found no meaningful differences between the two regions on any of these measures. Crying frequency, burnout, sick leave, the value men placed on social connection at work, and the way overwhelm increased with accumulating stressors did not differ meaningfully between the regions.
This suggests that, within the context of this survey, cultural differences did not appear to substantially influence these particular aspects of high sensitivity among men.
However, this finding needs to be interpreted carefully. A newer follow-up study, specifically focused on high sensitivity and empathy and using a more detailed questionnaire, is showing a somewhat different picture, particularly regarding the extent to which highly sensitive men feel responsible for other people’s emotions.
For that reason, the results above should be understood as findings from this particular survey and these particular measures, rather than as evidence that culture has no influence on the experience of high sensitivity. A more detailed discussion of these newer findings will follow in a separate publication.
What seems to help highly sensitive men at work?
Alongside the larger findings, several smaller patterns were interesting from a practical perspective.
One was autonomy. Self-employed and freelance highly sensitive men reported lower frequencies of overwhelm than employed men. One possible explanation is that greater autonomy gives people more control over their working environment and pace: when to schedule meetings, when to work with concentration, which tasks to accept, and when to take a break.
Another finding concerned the tendency to keep going when already tired. Two coping patterns were associated with higher, rather than lower, frequencies of overwhelm: not taking sufficient breaks or time off, and working harder rather than resting when already tired. This may be particularly relevant for highly sensitive persons who have learned to respond to increasing demands by becoming even more focused, productive, or persistent.
The logic is understandable. When a deadline approaches or demands increase, taking a break can feel counterproductive. Continuing to work may feel like the responsible thing to do. Rest can easily become something that is postponed until everything else is finished.
However, the pattern found in our data shows it comes with a high cost. When someone is already tired, working harder was associated with more frequent overwhelm. Of the HSP men who said they worked harder when they were tired, 65% reported daily overwhelm at work. Against 44% who did not have this coping pattern.
HSP men who reported not taking enough breaks also reported more frequent daily overwhelm at work. 58% versus 39% for the HSP men who did take enough breaks. Skipping breaks may remove one of the few factors over which a person has direct control at that moment.
The size of these effects did not differ significantly between men and women, suggesting the same pattern holds for both.
The practical implication: a scheduled break may be worth treating as part of the work rather than as something optional. Noticeable fatigue may be a signal to reduce demands rather than automatically responding by increasing effort. For highly sensitive men in particular when several stressors are already accumulating, it may be useful to become aware of the tendency to push through fatigue.
So, are highly sensitive men different?
Not in the way we might expect.
The most striking finding is actually how similar highly sensitive men and women are. High sensitivity appears to be expressed across genders in many of the same ways, even though some aspects of emotional and sensory expression differ.
At the same time, the differences we did find are meaningful. Highly sensitive men reported somewhat different patterns of emotional expression and perceived work-related strengths. Most notably, the relationship between multiple stressors and overwhelm was different: as stressors accumulated, overwhelm increased more rapidly among men.
For highly sensitive men, the practical message may therefore be quite simple: pay attention not only to how intense an individual stressor feels, but also to how many demands are accumulating around you. And if you notice yourself becoming tired, be cautious about automatically responding by pushing harder.
High sensitivity does not make someone less capable at work. Understanding how your own sensitivity interacts with your environment may simply help you use your capacities more effectively.
A note on what’s next
This article is based on our original Highly Sensitive and Work(stress) survey. A deeper follow-up study focusing specifically on high sensitivity and empathy is adding further detail to our understanding of how highly sensitive men experience and express their sensitivity, including the role of culture and responsibility for other people’s emotions. We will share more about these findings in a dedicated article once that analysis is complete.
Drs. Esther Bergsma is author, scientific researcher and expert on High Sensitivity. She conducted various (international) researches to gain awareness on the trait of High Sensitivity. She also reads scientific article on High Sensitivity and translates them to easy to understand language. Her book The Brain of the Highly Sensitive Person is also available on Amazon.