What are sensory preferences?

Sensory preferences are the patterns in how your brain likes to receive information from your surroundings: what feels calming, what feels alerting, and what feels too much (Forsberg, K., et al., 2025). They show up in everyday details:

• The type of lighting you can tolerate

• Whether you think best in silence or with background noise

• The kind of clothes you can actually stand to wear all day

• How you feel in open-plan offices, busy meetings, or crowded events

Researchers describe related traits as “sensory processing sensitivity” or “sensory over‑responsivity.” Around 15–20% of the general population are thought to be highly sensitive to sensory input, meaning their nervous systems process stimuli more deeply and intensely. 

Repeat: this is not a disorder - it is a normal variation in how human systems are wired.

Sensory input and output

Sensory input is everything coming in:

• Visual (lighting, screen glare, visual clutter)

• Auditory (conversations, notifications, traffic, alarms)

• Tactile (chair texture, clothing tags, room temperature)

• Olfactory - smell and Gustatory - taste (office kitchens, perfumes, cleaning products)

Sensory output is how your body and brain respond:

• Fidgeting, stimming, or needing to move

• Zoning out or shutting down

• Snapping at small things, or feeling on edge for “no reason”

• Needing to leave a room, dim the lights, or put on headphones

In workplaces designed around a narrow idea of “normal,” people who process sensory input differently often end up doing hidden labour: masking their discomfort, forcing themselves through overwhelm, or quietly absorbing stress that others never notice.

Who might have strong sensory needs?

Anyone can have clear sensory preferences, but they are especially relevant for:

• Neurodivergent people, including autistic and ADHD individuals, who often experience heightened or uneven sensory responses. 

• People living with anxiety, trauma, or chronic pain, whose nervous systems may already sit closer to “alert.”​

• Workers in environments with constant noise, crowds, or interruptions, such as open offices, call centres, healthcare, and hospitality.

Many of these people learn to perform comfort: smiling in open-plan offices, powering through networking events, or laughing off “small quirks” about sound or light. Underneath, their nervous systems may be working overtime.

Why we need to know

Workplaces often pride themselves on performance, agility, and “culture fit,” but rarely ask: fit for whose nervous system? When organizations build in flexibility - quiet zones, lighting options, remote work, sensory-aware policies - they reduce the hidden tax on those who are already working twice as hard just to be present.

Acknowledging sensory preferences is not about special treatment. It is about basic working conditions that allow people to think, relate, and contribute at their best. For many, that starts with a simple question:

What does “too much” feel like for you - and what would “enough” look like instead?

References:

1. Forsberg, K., et al. (2025). Sensory processing patterns and their relationships to coping and occupational engagement. British Journal of Occupational Therapy.​

2. MacLennan, K., et al. (2021). The complex sensory experiences of autistic adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 635690.​

3. National Autistic Society. (2020). Autistic burnout (briefing report).​

4. Hushoffice. (2025). Preventing sensory overload in open workspaces. ​

5. GAIN Together. (2024). Sensory overload at work: Hidden challenges for neurodivergent employees.