8 Things 'Highly Perceptive' People Notice About Others Instantly, a Psychologist Says ...Saudi Arabia

Sometimes, we describe certain people in our lives by saying, “Nothing gets past them.” These are the people who seem to have an eagle eye for the tiniest changes taking place around them—they can spot details that no one else seems to see. It’s a kind of superpower that’s known as being “highly perceptive,” but it can also go by the term “highly sensitive.” According to psychologist Elaine Aron, 20% to 30% of the general population is highly sensitive. “There are many ways someone can be highly perceptive, but one way to define it is as someone who is ‘interpersonally sensitive’ and can pick up on social cues more quickly or easily than other people,” says Dr. Kibby McMahon, who is a licensed clinical psychologist, the CEO of KulaMind—a support platform for loved ones of people with mental illness or addiction—and co-host of the mental health podcast,A Little Help For Our Friends.For instance, Dr. McMahon says that people who consider themselves to be “empaths” can detect, identify and understand other people’s emotions very easily. “Highly perceptive people can also pick up on other social cues, such as body language, subtle expressions of intention, social faux pas or deception,” she adds. And although being highly perceptive can be a natural talent that you’re just born with, she shares that it can also be a learned skill. “Many people just think it’s part of someone’s personality, but people can get more perceptive with practice,” she says.With that, she tells Parade that there are eight things, in particular, that highly perceptive people notice about others instantly. Plus, how to use those "powers" for good.Related: 7 Habits of a ‘Deeply Feeling’ Child or Grandchild, According to Dr. Becky Kennedy

Is It Good To Be Highly Perceptive?

Dr. McMahon believes that it’s useful to be highly perceptive “because so much of our survival and quality of life depends on our social skills.” “People communicate with each other in so many different ways—verbally, non-verbally, intentionally or unintentionally—that being highly perceptive to social cues gives you an advantage,” she shares.She also adds that highly perceptive people can make great CEO’s, managers, salesmen or therapists. “Research also shows that people who are interpersonally sensitive or perceptive tend to have better quality relationships and social support,” she says. Related: If You Heard These 5 Phrases as a Kid, You Probably Feel Like You’re ‘Too Much’ as an Adult

A highly perceptive person might notice micro-expressions when someone else’s mood changes, such as eyes tearing up, cheeks trembling or edges of lips curling.“Highly perceptive people are often highly empathetic and are sensitive to expressions of emotion, even subtle ones,” Dr. McMahon says. “Most people might ignore or overlook small signs that someone else’s mood has changed, but someone who is highly perceptive would notice these details.” Related: People Who Instantly Overanalyze Their Social Interactions Often Share These 9 Traits, Psychologists Explain

2. Changes in tone of voice

You may also notice changes in pitch, pace and volume in someone’s tone of voice. As Dr. McMahon says, so much of someone’s message is communicated through nonverbal behavior, such as tone of voice, and often in ways they don’t realize. “So it’s like a window into someone’s real intentions or feelings,” she explains.

You might be alerted to the very moment that someone commits a social faux pas, doing something embarrassing or violating a social norm. “Perceiving social faux pas is actually an important social skill that’s often measured in social psychology research because people with autism struggle with it,” Dr. McMahon says. “Belonging and being accepted in a community was critical to our survival, so we’ve learned how to notice when we’re at risk for rejection.” Related: 9 Things High-Level Thinkers Notice That the Average Person Ignores, According to Psychologists

4. Open or closed posture

Those who are highly perceptive frequently notice people’s differences in posture, which could be an open or closed posture shown during social interactions. “Posture can tell you a lot about how people are reacting to the people they’re talking to,” Dr. McMahon explains. “Closed posture, such as the torso turned away and arms crossed, is more of a defensive stance that may indicate someone is not open or trusting. On the other hand, open arms, face and torso turned toward them can indicate a sign of interest, trust or openness.” 

Highly perceptive individuals can pick up on signs of deception, or “signs that someone is lying or deceiving you, such as eyes looking away, hesitations in answering questions or inconsistencies in stories,” as Dr. McMahon puts it. 

6. Others’ boundaries

You may be aware that someone is trying to set boundaries with others. According to Dr. McMahon, this can include signs that someone wants to say “no” or they feel violated. “These signs include leaning back, tightening of lips, narrowing of eyes, less willingness to engage, etc.,” she says. Related: How To Validate Someone’s Feelings, According to a Clinical Psychologist

You may be aware of what people truly care about, such as their values or motivations. Dr. McMahon says that, for example, you may pick up on whether someone makes decisions based on a consistent principle, always gravitates to a specific type of reward or gets emotional when they speak about something important to them. “Knowing what people value is a key predictor of their behavior,” Dr. McMahon says.She adds that highly perceptive people can leverage this knowledge to motivate others to do a variety of things, such as buy a product, put in the effort to learn something new, work on a shared project or build relationships with similar people. 

8. Suppressed feelings

You might spot instances when someone is trying to mask or hide their true feelings. “While highly perceptive people can tell what someone is feeling, they can also tell when someone is trying to push emotions away,” Dr. McMahon says. “For example, when someone is smiling through their pain or saying, ‘I’m fine,’ when they’re really not.”She says that there can be a lot of important information “when you can tell that someone is feeling something but also putting in effort to control it.” “When you can tell that someone is masking their true feelings, it’s like you have a direct line to their vulnerability,” she says. “You can tend to their needs in that moment, even if they’re suppressing it, such as giving them space to open up.” Related: 5 Surprising Signs of an Empath and Narcissist Relationship, According to a Psychologist

How To Put Your Powers of Perception To Good Use

Dr. McMahon views high perception as a gift, “as it makes you fluent in the language of social communication.” While you could use it for “evil” by manipulating people against their will or without their knowledge, as she adds, it can do a lot of good. “One of the best applications of high interpersonal perception is being a medical provider or psychologist,” she shares. “Your ability to read people will be in service of saving their lives or helping them grow, which is so rewarding. However, these skills can also be very useful in other helping professions, like the police force or in the military.” Up Next:

Related: 12 Things Emotionally Intelligent Women Do That the Average Person Avoids, Psychologists Say

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