This is not specifically a linux problem--it happens using any mouse and any system.

Hasn't everyone experienced this? You are typing a document or program and use the mouse to move the insertion point. Then when you unclick, you accidentally move the mouse an imperceptible distance and highlight a bit of text. Not noticing, you resume typing and as a result, delete the highlighted text. Hopefully you notice this and Ctrl-Z a few times to get back what you lost. This happens to me so often I have dubbed it the "unclick surprise."

Does anyone have a remedy for this? Perhaps some adjustment to the mouse sensitivity controls?

There are several "workarounds" for this:

1. Don't use the mouse. Editors like Vi(m) and Emacs make the mouse obsolete, if you use browser plugins like Pentadactyl, Vimperator, Vrome, Vimium, ... , keyboard shortcuts for your WM/DE, file-managers like Ranger or Vifm, ..., you will hardly need the mouse at all. Only exceptions are Flash content in a browser and programs were using the mouse is necessary, like GIMP.

2. Edit the preferences of your editor so that highlighted text has a very annoying color, so that you see it instantly when you have text highlighted.

3. Look at the screen what you are doing. If you are able to touch-type your eyes shouldn't normally leave the screen.