By Akanksha
January 28, 2026
People who seem cold in initial meetings are often guarding their sensitive hearts. And as per psychology, being cold on the outside is their way of self-protection, which is often due to their bad ex
Such people prefer to bottle up their feelings and vulnerability, instead of being vocal about them. It's a shield that they have to protect their emotions, not indifference.
Instead of seeking help from others, they reject help fiercely, and prefer to handle everything on their own. They don't like trusting others who once burned them deeply. Self-reliance feels safest to
Highly self-protective people are sensitive to being hurt (again). And so, they are always scanning for others' hidden agendas, and they question other people's kindness as their past experiences have
Opening up to others takes ages for highly sensitive and self-protective people. They prefer to observe quietly first, before opening up to people. One wrong move, and the drawbridge rises high.
They prefer solitude and so keep their physical and emotional distance from others. They believe that closeness invites potential pain.
Instead of fighting or arguing with others, they prefer to have their peace of mind. And so, ghosting or withdrawing beats arguments for them.
Flat tones and neutral faces hide inner storms - as they feel that revealing their emotions will risk judgment or exploitation by others. This, again, happens because they take time to open up and tru
Highly self-protective people are hypervigilant. They are quick to read rooms and other people's emotions - They notice any threats to protect their soft core first.
While highly self-protective people take time to open up and trust others, once a bond is formed, they are loyal friends and partners.