Heart Powers No. 22 of 28
They call it: Too dramatic We call it
Fairness Radar
Also known as justice sensitivity.
The short version You spot unfairness fast and feel it hard. You feel it for other people as well as for yourself.
Collected. 0 of 28.
Sounds like you?
- You notice one kid got a second chance that nobody else got.
- You can’t let a group project unfairness go, hours after it’s over.
- You feel a friend’s unfairness in your own stomach.
Why it’s a power
You notice unfairness before most people have even seen it. Researchers call it justice sensitivity: the radar that pings when a rule bends for one kid and not another.
In a study of 1,235 German kids and teens, those with more ADHD traits noticed unfairness more often and felt it harder when it hit them.Source 1 A small pilot study found adults with ADHD were also more bothered by unfairness they saw happening to someone else.Source 2 The two studies disagree on which kinds of fairness sense run high, so “tend to” is as strong as we get.
In a survey of 206 adults with ADHD, 12 named a sense of justice without being asked.Source 3 That is a small number. A radar that never switches off is tiring, and it is also attention aimed at other people.
Studied
Two self-report studies, one with 1,235 kids and teens and one small pilot, found more fairness sensitivity with more ADHD traits, but they disagree on which kinds.
Where it shines
- Standing up for a kid being picked on
- Spotting a bad rule at work
- Being the fair referee at recess
The flip side
Feeling every unfairness at full strength is tiring, and this kind of sensitivity travels with feeling rejected easily. The radar has no off switch.
Power-up: try this today
Pick one unfairness you can actually change this week and let the rest go with a note in your phone.
Say it to a kid
Your brain has unfairness glasses. They spot every time a game is not fair, even tiny ones. Grown-ups need those glasses too, so tell them what you see.
Where this comes from
- Bondü, R., & Esser, G. (2015). Justice and rejection sensitivity in children and adolescents with ADHD symptoms. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 24(2), 185-198. Read it
- Schäfer, T., & Kraneburg, T. (2015). The kind nature behind the unsocial semblance: ADHD and justice sensitivity, a pilot study. Journal of Attention Disorders, 19(8), 715-727. Read it
- Schippers, L. M., Horstman, L. I., van de Velde, H., Rodrigues Pereira, R., Zinkstok, J., Mostert, J. C., Greven, C. U., & Hoogman, M. (2022). A qualitative and quantitative study of self-reported positive characteristics of individuals with ADHD. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 922788. Read it