“Is there a connection between binge eating and being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)?”

Lucy Newport • April 2, 2025

Reading time: 10 mins

It was later on in my own binge eating recovery that I discovered the term "Highly Sensitive Person" and learnt that I am one. Although it was even later that I really embraced the trait as a part of myself, these insights became a profound turning point in understanding and accepting myself - a crucial step in my recovery journey.

Now, as a coach supporting other highly sensitive women through their recovery, I've become fascinated by the intricate dance between high sensitivity and our relationship with food. So in this article we’re going to explore the question “Is there a connection between binge eating and being a Highly Sensitive Person?”.

First things first, what is a Highly Sensitive Person?

You might be coming to this page knowing that you’re a Highly Sensitive Person and if that’s the case, please see this as a reminder or feel free to skip to the next section. If, however, you’re new to the term or have a vague understanding - welcome! Let’s get some clarity…

Simply put, a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) is someone whose central nervous system is more sensitive to stimulation than others. This trait is often called sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) and it’s believed that around 20% of adults have it[1].

This stimulation is anything that evokes a reaction from the nervous system. It includes external stimulation which you receive through your five senses as well as internal stimulation which is anything from muscle aches to thoughts and memories.

Where everyone’s nervous systems are incredibly sophisticated and sensitive (it’s the nervous system’s job to be!), a HSPs is especially fine-tuned. Where others hear a song, a HSP might experience a whole emotional landscape. Where someone hears a sad news story and is moved for a few minutes, a HSP may take the rest of the day (or more) to move past it. This isn't a weakness but a remarkable way of experiencing the world when you understand your sensitivity and are able to honour and work with it.

Where does the term “Highly Sensitive Person” come from?

It was Dr. Elaine Aron along with her husband Dr. Arthur Aron who defined the terms “Highly Sensitive Person” and more recently “sensory processing sensitivity”. Their research into high sensitivity began in 1991, with Dr. Elaine Aron’s book The Highly Sensitive Person becoming hugely important in understanding and spreading awareness of high sensitivity (if you’ve not yet read it, I highly recommend you do). Since then many other researchers have delved into studying the trait, ever expanding our knowledge of it.

Being highly sensitive is described as a “trait” because it’s not a condition or a disorder. Instead it’s something that 20% of us are born with and is a form of neurodivergence, meaning that HSPs brain works differently from what is considered “typical”. For example, brain scans have shown that HSPs are more empathetic because they have a higher number of active “mirror neurons”[1]. When a HSP observes how someone else is feeling, these mirror neurons copy the other persons, firing in the same way. Pretty amazing, right?

What does the “DOES” acronym stand for?

In 2010, Dr. Elaine Aron brought together the core characteristics of high sensitivity into a concise and memorable model using the acronym DOES[2]. This model encompasses four key aspects: Depth of processing, Overstimulation, Emotional reactivity / Empathy and Sensing the Subtle.

As you read these brief descriptions of each, you might start seeing links between being a HSP and binge eating, but we’ll explore these together later in this article.

Depth of Processing - HSPs tend to process information at a deeper level than the “typical” person, often reflecting on experiences, elaborating on them, and making connections that others might overlook. This can be conscious but also unconscious through what we might call intuition or gut feelings. Because of this, HSPs tend to take longer to make decisions as they carefully consider options, and can be described as “overthinkers”.

This characteristic extends to their relationships where they value deep conversations and seek meaning in their interactions.

Overstimulation - HSPs take in and process a higher number of sensory details meaning they can become overstimulated and stressed by things that seem ordinary to others. In other words, the same stimulation for someone who is considered “typical” will overload a HSPs nervous system more, in a shorter amount of time. A HSP can easily become overstimulated by things like bright lights, background noise, or busy environments.

What is just as true but may be less obvious is that they may feel rattled when faced with tight deadlines or having too much to do in a short amount of time and often need quiet time to themselves to recover.

Emotional Reactivity and Empathy - HSPs generally experience emotions, both positive and negative, with greater depth. What’s interesting here is that research suggests that Highly Sensitive People particularly react more to positive experiences, compared to negative. I love this because high sensitivity is often seen as a negative by people who don’t understand the trait, when really there are many benefits!

As we touched on before, they are often highly empathetic, readily noticing and being affected by the moods and emotions of others.

Sensing the subtle - HPS are more “in-tune” with subtleties and changes in their environment, from the taste and texture of food to the atmosphere of the room they’re in. They may sense the first changes in the seasons, get greater pleasure from simple things and pick up on more non-verbal cues from others.

When a HSP is overwhelmed however, they can become unaware of both subtleties and the obvious, unable to take in any more stimulation.

So that’s a little introduction to the Highly Sensitive Person, now let’s take a look at binge eating…

What is binge eating?

Again, you may already know what binge eating is and that it’s something that you do, or you may be new to the term as you’re trying to understand your eating behaviours. It’s important to know that there is both what’s considered binge eating and a binge eating disorder (BED) and because someone can binge from time to time without it necessarily being classed as an eating disorder, we’ll look at binge eating first.

Binge eating is when someone eats a large amount of food, perhaps the food that they wouldn’t consciously choose, in a condensed period of time and past the point of comfortable fullness[3].

Some of the most common and defining characteristics of binge eating are:

Binge urges - the feeling of compulsion that precedes a binge
Binge foods - often foods that are fun, comforting and high in energy such as crisps, cookies, pizza, cereal, chocolate, etc
Frenzied eating - a large amount of food eaten in a small period of time, with little enjoyment taken
Escapism - “numbing” from uncomfortable feelings and experiences
Guilt and shame - self-critical and isolating feelings that follow
Secrecy - bingeing when alone and hiding “evidence” such as food wrappers or money spent.
“Making up” for the binge - often recommitting to a diet or reducing how much is eaten (in the case of bulimia, this will be taken to the extreme, often inducing vomiting, taking laxatives or excessively exercising).

A binge eating disorder (often referred to as BED) is the medical diagnosis for when the occasional binge becomes a regular occurrence.

Different countries and organisations have their own ways of diagnosing a binge eating disorder. For example, in the USA a manual called Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR)[4] is used, outlining certain criteria that someone has to meet in order to be diagnosed.

Wherever you are in the world, when seeing a doctor or healthcare professional, they’ll usually gauge how often the binge eating occurs, the quantity of food eaten, and in what time frame. They’ll also ask whether any compensatory measures are taken after a binge and conduct a psychological assessment to find out how distressing the binges are.

Taking someone’s weight is also commonly included as part of the diagnosis but it’s important to know that someone can binge eat or have a binge eating disorder at any weight, especially as those who binge may have a history of weight gains and losses.

The latest statistics suggest that 2% of people in the UK[5] experience binge eating disorder. BED is also frequently linked with other mental health challenges, such as depression, anxiety disorders and alcohol abuse[3].

How are binge eating and Highly Sensitive People related?

So here we are, the big question! Now while there currently isn’t any explicit or dedicated research into the connection between being highly sensitive and struggling with binge eating (hopefully one day), I think it is safe to say that there are certainly links and overlapping traits. I’ve definitely noticed these firstly within myself and in many others through my work.

So, let’s explore some of the most common connections, the reasons why Highly Sensitive People might find themselves binge eating…

Deeply processing messages about weight and worth - Society constantly sends messages that connect thinness with worthiness and belonging. For HSPs, these messages can be deeply internalised.

A HSP is more likely to notice every comment about bodies (theirs or others'), every media image celebrating certain body types, and every subtle social reward given to those who meet these standards. It's not that they’re 'too concerned' with these messages, their nervous system is simply designed to process social information more thoroughly.

This deep processing, combined with the perfectionist tendencies common among highly sensitive individuals, can create a heightened vulnerability. Many HSPs turn to dieting as a solution, not just to change their bodies, but as a path to finally feeling “enough”.

But here's the crucial insight: dieting isn't merely about weight loss. It's an attempt to fulfil a need for acceptance that can never truly be satisfied through external changes. The restriction triggers both physiological and psychological responses which result in binge eating. This begins the 'binge-restrict cycle,' which often further damages self-worth and deepens feelings of shame, guilt and inadequacy.

A way of managing overwhelm - When a HSP reaches the threshold of stimulation they can manage effectively, their system can shift into overwhelm or even shutdown as a protective response (this is the sympathetic “fight, flight, freeze” response). In these vulnerable moments, binge eating often emerges as a coping strategy. When our nervous systems feel flooded, certain foods, especially those we typically label as “comfort foods”, offer immediate relief. They provide a familiar distraction from the discomfort of overstimulation.

But it’s not just the type of food eaten that provides this relief. Synonymous with binge eating is the sense of “zoning out”, or losing oneself within the binge and again this gives that momentary escapism from overwhelm.

Escaping uncomfortable emotions - Remember, HSPs experience emotions more intensely and in just the same way that bingeing can provide relief from overstimulation, it can also help to “turn down the volume” on uncomfortable emotions. Now uncomfortable emotions are usually associated with what we call negative emotions, such as stress, guilt and inadequacy but positive emotions like excitement, joy and even love can also feel “too much”.

The strong empathy of HSPs can be emotionally draining too, again leading to the use of binge eating to soothe or create a temporary emotional boundary.

Feeling as though their emotions are too much - It’s not uncommon for HSPs to suppress their own intense emotions due to a fear of being seen negatively or overwhelming others with their feelings - anyone who’s been called “too sensitive” will know what I mean! This emotional suppression can result in a build up of unexpressed feelings that may eventually find release through a binge.

Over analysing food choices - A HSP might find themself not only analysing nutritional content, but also ethical implications, environmental impact, and potential health outcomes of everything they eat. This thoroughness shows a thoughtful nature, however, when applied to daily food choices, can create a mental burden.

In this instance, a HSP might experience what's sometimes called “analysis paralysis”, where the sheer volume of considerations makes even simple food decisions feel overwhelming. In these instances, binge eating might occur as a way to temporarily escape the cognitive burden of constant evaluation and deliberation. The sheer number of factors and potential outcomes considered can become mentally exhausting, lowering resistance to cravings or urges to binge.

Reacting to past diet experiences - previous negative encounters with dieting, such as feelings of failure or intense hunger which have been deeply processed by a HSP can create a fear of future restriction, paradoxically leading to preemptive or reactive binge eating. This is perhaps one of the more nuanced links, but one that I experienced many times.

Necessary alone time can become a trigger - HSPs absolutely need time alone to decompress and recharge, it's essential for their wellbeing. Yet this very necessary solitude can unintentionally create the perfect conditions for binge eating to develop because as we touched on above, binge eating is usually done with secrecy.

Eating alone can gradually transform from a neutral activity into a soothing ritual, especially when we're processing difficult emotions or recovering from sensory overload. The pattern develops: solitude → safety → bingeing to self-soothe → momentary relief. Before it’s realised, this connection between alone time and binge eating becomes wired in, turning alone time into an unconscious trigger for bingeing.

How do these connections draw together?

As you read these connections, perhaps you noticed two central themes emerge. First, the deep processing inherent to the highly sensitive nervous system, whether it's absorbing cultural messages about bodies, analysing food choices, or internalising past experiences, creates a unique vulnerability to binge eating.

Second, binge eating often emerges as an understandable attempt to manage this sensitivity, to find relief from overwhelm, to create boundaries around intense emotions, or to escape the cognitive burden of constant deep analysis. Understanding these connections helps us reframe binge eating not as a failure of willpower, but as an adaptive response to a sensitive system trying its best to cope.

What does all this mean for you?

If you recognise yourself in the descriptions of HSPs and binge eating, and you resonate with the connections between the two, please know that you’re not alone. Through my work as a binge eating recovery coach for highly sensitive women, I’ve learnt that many HSPs struggle with their relationships with food, their bodies, self-worth and sensitivity in this way.

What’s important is that you use the perspectives I’ve shared as a way to shift you away from shame and towards compassion, opening the door to binge eating recovery that honours your sensitivity. Because the very trait that may have made you more vulnerable to binge eating also gives you the profound capacity for awareness, insight and transformation that makes recovery absolutely possible for you.

If you’re ready to get started, my free in-depth guide The Highly Sensitive Woman’s Guide to a Binge Free Life is for you.

This guide will help put you on your path to finally stop binge eating by teaching you:

How to create genuine safety within yourself as a HSP
Ways to honour your sensitivity while building a peaceful relationship with food
How to let go of feelings of “not enough” and connect more to your innate-worth
Practical steps to unravel binge eating cycles that work with your HSP nature
How to embrace your authentic self rather than trying to "fit in"

GET YOUR FREE GUIDE

I’m excited to share these insights with you because I know how painful and isolating binge eating can be. But I also know the peace and freedom that is present when you work with your sensitivity as your recovery path. And I want that for you so much!

I’ll meet you in your free guide…

Found this article helpful? Here are some more resources for you:

“What’s the difference between emotional eating and binge eating?”

By Lucy Newport • July 17, 2024

Reading time: 6.5 mins Perhaps you’ve found your way to this page because you’ve noticed that you use food to comfort yourself when emotions like stress, sadness and boredom come up. Maybe you’re feeling like your emotional eating is out of control at times and that just worries you more. And perhaps you’ve heard the term “binge eating” and you’re wondering if that’s in fact what you’re doing. If so, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll look at exactly what emotional eating and binge eating are and their main differences. For those of you who resonate with being a highly sensitive person, an empath or someone who just feels things in a big way, we’ll also look at how this sensitivity can play into emotional eating and binge eating. This is all about better understanding your own behaviour so that you can expand your ability to be with uncomfortable emotions, improve your relationships with food and your body and even get the right support for you on this journey, if that’s what you want. Now, take a nice long and full breath and let’s explore… What is emotional eating?