A few weeks ago, I took Gretchen Rubin’s test to find out my most neglected sense. I honestly wasn’t sure which one I was going to get.
Sight? Hmm, maybe not. I find great appreciation in pretty things. A sunset, blooming flowers on a tree, landscapes on vacation, beautiful pictures of my cats (ha).
Taste? I’m a picky eater, so does that count? But damn, I love eating food that tastes really good to me. That first sip of a cold Dr. Pepper, a really juicy orange, a gooey chocolate chip cookie, a tortilla piled high with seasoned beef and cheese. Mmm!
Smell? Oh god, this can’t be it. I am so sensitive to smells! Good smells and bad smells alike. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just lose our sense of a type of smell? If I never had to smell when my cats gave me a very special present in their litter boxes, I would be a happy gal.
Touch? I am not a touchy-feely person, so maybe. I love a good hug from someone, but it’s not something I seek out. Then again, I do love other kinds of “touch,” like the feeling of a soft blanket wrapped around me while I’m reading or cool sheets as I slip into bed or the way Eloise and Lila feel under my palm.
Hearing? Hmm… maybe. I am very sensitive to loud noises. One of my least favorite things is to go somewhere for a meal, only to find out they’re playing live music. It can feel physically painful to my eardrums when I’m in a loud environment. I’ve never been someone particularly drawn to listening to music. One of the things I love about working from home is that I can keep my apartment pin-drop silent throughout the day. I once tried to work with a few coworkers and they had no problem writing while an old episode of The Office played in the background. I wrote one sentence during the 20-something-minute episode. ONE. SENTENCE.
Once I took the quiz, I was not all too surprised to learn my most neglected sense is hearing. The more I thought about it, the more it made… sense (pun?). I’m a highly sensitive person, which means certain environments can be hell on my nervous system. Things that wouldn’t bug other people (most people like to hear live music!) feel physically painful for me. I’ve had to remove myself from loud environments because I’m so uncomfortable. (How did I handle the Taylor Swift concert? Y’all, I don’t know. Maybe because I was prepared to be in a super-loud environment and because it was my girl Taylor, I was able to handle it better than a “surprise” loud environment.)
After taking the quiz and finding out my most neglected sense, Gretchen Rubin provides a long list of recommendations; experiences to seek out to allow me to better engage with my hearing sense. What I loved about the hearing recommendations is that they weren’t all about doing things that required, well, hearing. She recommended investing in noise-canceling headphones, removing noisy alerts from my phone, and trying an audiobook subscription. I think knowing that hearing is my most neglected sense and being clear on why (being an HSP) is going to help me feel less guilty about how much I despise live music or how little I use my Spotify account (for anything other than listening to Taylor’s newest release, oops). And maybe I can start cultivating some hearing experiences for myself, like visiting a sound bath and making an upbeat playlist for myself, so I can engage with this sense in a way that works best for me.
What is your most neglected sense?
Ditto with you on hearing. I am super sensitive to noises of all kinds, awful ones and pleasant one, even. We live in incredibly noisy times and everywhere I go can be a source of loud irritation. It wears me out even thinking about it.
This is interesting! I’ve been thinking of taking that quiz myself. I also can’t figure out what my results would be- I love smells, I love eating etc. I do like listening to music but I’m also sensitive if things are too loud- like I agree with you, if I go out and there’s live music it’s usually way too loud for me. But I can also tune out noise really well- if my husband is watching TV, I can sit in the same room and read a book. So maybe my most neglected sense is hearing? I’ll take the test and report back.
That is so interesting! I am glad taking it is helping you accept you. There is nothing wrong with being that way! (said because I also mostly dislike live music)
Mine has got to be touch or hearing. This reminds me I was going to take the four tendencies quiz. LOL.
My most neglected sense – from the quiz at least – was touch. I can see this being true. Sound is DEFINITELY not my neglected sense. I listen to white noise all night and I have Spotify on hours and hours each day.
I was a little surprised to find hearing is my neglected sense because I *also* love white noise at night and listen to podcasts all the live-long day, so my ears get a workout. But I can see how the EXPERIENCE of music/sound is not something I seek out in comparison to other senses.
My neglected sense is hearing for sure. I am so sensitive to sounds. For instance, I have not been to a concert or movie theater since the pandemic and I am not sure I ever will again. And if I do, I will be making sure to have earplugs. And I use white noise all the time to cover up actual sounds. This becoming obvious to me as I’m in an office and I am so easily distracted/irritated by the sounds of my co-workers doing absolutely normal things!
Oh my gosh I need to do this test. I am pretty sure though it is hearing as well. If I need to loose one sense I would give up hearing for sure. I hate noise. A ticking clock, the gurgle of the fridge a beeping of some technical equipment… shoot me. It drives me mad and I get cranky instantly. Ask the husband.
So I feel you. I hate going to dinner in loud places where it is hard to have a conversation. I rather meet at home. And I never listen to music during work unless it is loud around me that I put on some classical piano to drone it out.
Ooh, I would not want to give up hearing! I do very much appreciate being able to hear and I know it’s a hard life for those who are Deaf or hard of hearing. I want to be able to listen to my podcasts and music when I want to!
Hmm, I have no idea what my most neglected sense would be! Touch maybe.
Mine is hearing too. I need to read her new book because I want to hear her talk about the implications, etc.
This is so interesting. I don’t know if I had thought hearing was your most neglected sense because of all the podcasts/audiobooks that you listen to – so it’s specific to music and/or loud(er) noises?
I need to take that test – I’d be curious to find out what my neglected sense is.
Yes – I was a little surprised that hearing ended up being my most neglected sense because I do love being able to hear and listen to podcasts/music/etc. But perhaps it’s that I don’t really seek out hearing EXPERIENCES – like concerts, putting together playlists, etc. And loud music is a no-go for me!
I don’t like loud noises either, and my husband definitely does. He likes to listen to music loud so he can really hear all of the nuances. He sleeps much better listening to white noise than without, because it covers up the sound of his tinnitus. I sleep better in a quiet room. Mostly I just put my head under a pillow to drown it out.
I do like some noise while I’m working, so I will listen to music or NPR, but definitely not loud, and not all day. Interesting test.
Mine is taste. I am, apparently, weird. I thought it would be touch, but nope. This makes sense, though. I don’t really, well, crave foods, or certain tastes, or seek out food for comfort. It’s just… food. It’s calories, and I want to eat what I want (NOT coconut, my god, what is wrong with people who love coconut?), but other than that? Meh.
Mine is sight! But I am not a super visual person so it wasn’t too surprising! I can see how hearing is your neglected scent, though!
How interesting!!! I need to take the quiz so I can see my neglected sense. I am also VERY sensitive to audio stimuli – especially the cacophony of yelling, dog barking, landscapers and car horns. I love birds and listening to the wind. I LOVE a good piece of music in headphones. I think my dominent sense is vision- I am VERY visual.
Ooh, this is so interesting. I’ll have to go take this test! I think mine might be touch?