Knowing when to trust your intuition

BY DANIEL COLE

Intuition is knowing something instinctively, without the use or involvement of rational or logical reasoning. In the words of Malcolm Gladwell, “The ability to think without thinking.” Intuition is not a gift given magically to a fortunate few. It is an ability that we can all cultivate for ourselves. While it is often encouraged we embrace our intuition, nonetheless, the veracity or validity of our intuitive judgement is based on many factors. Our intuition cannot always be trusted, and our intuitive judgements are not always accurate.

The Noble Prize winner, Daniel Kahneman, wrote in his book, “Thinking, Fast and Slow.” “The confidence that people have in their intuitions is not a reliable guide to their validity. If subjective confidence is not to be trusted, how can we evaluate the probable validity of an intuitive judgment? The answer comes from the two basic conditions for acquiring skill, firstly, an environment that is sufficiently regular to be predictable. And secondly, an opportunity to learn these regularities through prolonged practice. When both these conditions are satisfied, intuitions are likely to be skilled.”

When intuition is based on cues taken from many years of practice, in a field or environment that is sufficiently regular to be predictable, these intuitive judgements are likely to be accurate and trusted, as noted by Daniel Kahneman. Intuition cannot be trusted in the absence of stable regularities in the environment, just as the 10,000 hours rule popularized by Malcolm Gladwell does not apply to every field of work.

Trusted intuitions are the byproduct of expertise and learned skill, not just a random brain flash. If these were not so, all those who instinctively pick the PowerBall number should get the combinations right and win, but you know the odds of winning. The very nature of intuition is unconscious reasoning, it’s quick and fast with no logical or rational input. It’s a hunch based on an underlying experience and skills. It’s a system in which our brain reaches conclusions without immediately telling us that it’s reaching conclusions.

The part of our brain that leaps to conclusions like this is called the adaptive unconscious, and the study of this kind of decision making is one of the most important new fields in psychology. The only way that human beings could ever have survived as a species for as long as we have is that we’ve developed another kind of decision-making apparatus that’s capable of making very quick judgments based on very little information.

As the psychologist, Timothy D. Wilson writes in his book Strangers to Ourselves: “The mind operates most efficiently by relegating a good deal of high-level, sophisticated thinking to the unconscious, just as a modern jetliner is able to fly on automatic pilot with little or no input from the human, ‘conscious’ pilot. The adaptive unconscious does an
excellent job of sizing up the world, warning people of danger, setting goals, and initiating action in a sophisticated and efficient manner.”

It is fallacious that decisions made out of thorough, cautious, logical and reasoning processes are always accurate than decisions made at a snap or quick intuitive judgment. Vice versa. Sometimes, our rapid cognitive response has its roots in prejudice and discrimination. In these instances, our intuitive judgments are not always accurate.

When your intuitive judgment aligns with your values, trust them and take action. Sometimes, following your intuition regardless of your level of expertise does not guarantee a successful outcome. Nevertheless, don’t overthink. If following your intuition feels like the right thing to do, firstly ask yourself, what’s the worst that could happen? Can you live with the outcome? If yes, do it. In the end, our most painful regrets in life are the regrets of inaction. What you should have done, but you keep putting away.