The Latest Science on the Senses

Your sensory capabilities may actually help shape your personality, according to research published in the journal PLoS ONE. Subjects who had a heightened trigeminal sense—which detects chemical irritants (like ammonia)—scored higher on neuroticism. People with a high pain tolerance tended to be more conscientious. And those with a powerful sense of smell (which can aid in identifying others' emotions) were generally more socially aware.