Are you ready to unlock the secrets of your intuition and make better, more informed decisions in your personal and professional life? If so, it’s time to dive into the fascinating science of intuitive decision-making.
Intuition is a powerful and often mysterious force that can guide our decisions in life, from simple choices to complex problems. While some may dismiss it as a mere gut feeling, the latest scientific research is showing that intuition is a complex process that involves both conscious and unconscious mental processing, emotional processing, and expertise in a particular domain.
Understanding the science behind intuitive decision-making can not only help us tap into this powerful tool but also shed light on how our brains work and how we can optimize our decision-making processes.
A while back, I was driving home on the freeway at the tail end of rush hour. I was a bit inpatient with the slow-moving traffic, so I was driving mostly in a faster far left lane. Out of the blue, I had a strange feeling in my gut, telling me to slow down and move to the far-right lane.
I was confused by the visceral vibe but decided to follow the feeling. Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and I watched in horror as a chain reaction of cars collided in the fast lane, causing a massive pileup. Although the damage looked minor to all the vehicles in volved, If I had not moved to the slower lane, I might have been caught up in the accident.
Feeling relieved and thankful, I saw the first two cars that appeared to have initiated the multiple fender benders. In that moment, I realized that I had seen one of the cars just minutes before. When the car had passed me, I noticed the car zipping erratically in out of traffic. Subconsciously, my brain must have observed the car and registered a possible threat, then mechanisms throughout my body received the message and activated a desire within to slow down and veer away from the lane the car was driving in.
According to the research, that is exactly how intuition works. Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett suggests that intuition is the brain using its predictive capacity to make decisions. In her book How Emotions are Made, Barrett says that intuition arises from our ability to make rapid and often unconscious predictions about the world based on our previous experiences and emotional context. These predictions inform our “gut feelings” and guide our intuitive decision-making processes. For example, if we are in a situation that is similar to one we have experienced in the past, our brain may use the emotions associated with that previous experience to guide our current decision-making.
