quiet-the-power-of-introverts-in-a-world-that-cant-stop-talking-susan-cain

percent less empathetic than they were
thirty years ago, with much of the drop
having occurred since 2000. (The
study’s authors speculate that the decline
in empathy is related to the prevalence
of social media, reality TV, and
“hyper-competitiveness.”)
Of course, having these traits doesn’t
mean that sensitive children are angels.
They have selfish streaks like everyone
else. Sometimes they act aloof and unfriendly.
And when they’re overwhelmed
by negative emotions like
shame or anxiety, says Aron, they can
be positively oblivious of other people’s
needs.
But the same receptivity to experience
that can make life difficult for the
highly sensitive also builds their consciences.
Aron tells of one sensitive
teen who persuaded his mother to feed
a homeless person he’d met in the park,
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