Why you should trust your gut
Have you ever had a weird vibe about something at work, or more generally in life?
Several years ago, I was contacted by a developer to undertake a specialist consulting project. As I sat through the briefing, surrounded by males, a niggling feeling crept in. I couldn’t quite pinpoint the issue. At face value the business case made sense, the developer seemed reputable, and our company had a lot of experience in the field. There was no obvious reason to turn down what would have been a lucrative contract.
But my gut told me otherwise, and so, I listened. “Call it a woman’s intuition, but something’s not right,” I said to my colleagues as we walked out of the meeting. Information later came to light, which confirmed my feelings, and we declined further involvement. My intuition, together with a well-defined set of personal and business values, backed by knowledge and lived experience, is my navigational compass — I honour it above all else.
However, in a world saturated by data – where data is now a form of currency — left-brained, data-driven decision-making has been elevated to royal status, as king. With such reliance on hard facts and stats, are we diluting the full spectrum of our intelligence, and therefore stunting our growth and development as humans?
While some people are more in tune with their intuitive senses — often creative, empathetic, right-brained thinkers — we all have the ability to connect with this form of intelligence. Prominent 20th-century virologist, medical researcher, and founder of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Jonas Salk, regularly relied on hunches in his scientific and business endeavours, suggesting that, “intuition will tell the thinking mind where to look next”.
The military understands this, too. Battlefield intuition is a form of intelligence that the Australian Army and global militaries embrace. Soldiers are trained to develop situational awareness through intuitive assessment, which is a useful tactic when there is little information and time to act, and the risks are high in a given circumstance.
We need to elevate our concept of intuition from the realm of psychic phenomena into everyday life. Because, intuition is more than just pre-cognitive awareness that few can access. The ability to develop perception beyond our immediate and visible material awareness is hardwired into the human brain. Leaders, scientists, educators, researchers, lawyers, journalists, health and social workers, politicians, and parents — all of us — make better decisions when applying whole-brain thinking.
True intuition is a highly attuned understanding of an environment that is perceived through multiple layers of sense-making. It is based on previously understood correlates to make predictive assessments of future probability. That is, intuition is based on information from past knowledge and experiences to help make decisions about the future.
Dr Lisa Miller, a professor, researcher and clinical psychologist at Columbia University specialises in the neuroscience of spirituality. In her research, Dr Miller found that intuition, which she terms “awakened awareness” is more astute in people who have developed a form of spiritual or contemplative practice.
If you have a strong relationship with your inner knowing, clear values, and can draw on informed experience — an awakened brain — intuitive insight can assist you, in all areas of your life. Be mindful of stereotype and confirmation biases though, as they can throw you off course.
Trust your gut, but don’t make decisions on an empty stomach, or a junk food diet. Develop whole-brain consciousness by analysing reputable information, and back it all up with level-headed experience, and intuitive intelligence. Do this, and I’m confident you’ll make better decisions, and maybe even feel happier in life and at work, too.
This article was first published in The West Australian in Renée Gardiner’s weekly column in Agenda, 5 February 2022.