Have you ever had a gut feeling that turned out to be right?
Maybe you hesitated before taking a new job, sensing something wasn’t quite right—only to find out later that the company was a mess. Or you instantly clicked with someone and, years down the road, realized they became one of your closest friends.
We talk about intuition like it’s some kind of magic, but is it really?
The idea of intuition is often wrapped in mysticism, treated like a sixth sense or even telepathy. But the science behind it is surprisingly grounded.
What is intuition really?
Research suggests that intuition is actually your brain processing patterns faster than your conscious mind can recognize. It’s experience, knowledge, and subconscious observation all working together—often without you realizing it.
Saving lives with intuition
In one study (Klein, 1998), a fire captain was leading his team through a burning building when something just felt off.
Without any obvious reason, he ordered everyone out.
Moments later, the floor collapsed.
Later, he realized his brain had picked up on subtle signs—unusual heat, eerie silence—before he consciously understood the risk. It wasn’t magic; it was experience kicking in at lightning speed.
Winning more money with intuition
Another study, known as the Iowa Gambling Task (Bechara et al., 1997), tested how people make decisions without realizing it.
Participants played a card game to try and win the most money as possible. But the game had hidden rules.
They had to select cards from 4 decks.
Some cards led to big payouts, others to big losses.
They didn’t know that: Two decks were bad—designed to make them lose over time. The other two were good—giving smaller, but consistent, wins.
At first, people played randomly. But here’s where it gets interesting…
It took about 50 cards before participants consciously realized which decks were bad.
But after only 10 cards, participants started sweating slightly when reaching for the bad decks.
Their hands hesitated. Their bodies were literally reacting to danger… even though they hadn’t consciously figured out the pattern yet.
Can you train your intuition?
Yes! Like any skill, it improves with practice. Here are three ways to sharpen yours.
1. Pattern Recognition Journaling
Start tracking your gut feelings and whether they turn out to be right. Over time, you’ll begin to notice what kinds of instincts you can trust and which might be based on bias or fear.
2. Know When to Slow Down
Intuition works best in areas where you have experience. But in unfamiliar situations, it can be misleading. The key is learning when to trust it and when to pause and analyze.
Even when you do come to trust it, using your analytical skill and your intuition is where you’ll make the best decisions.
3. Pay Attention to Your Body
In our data driven society, feelings are often dismissed as secondary to intellect.
But your intuition often speaks through physical sensations—tightness in the chest, a sudden feeling of ease, or a nagging discomfort. Learning to recognize these signals and think about what they might be trying to tell you.
Trust Your Gut—But Train It First
Intuition can be a valuable tool in helping us make better decisions that are aligned with what we truly want.
There is so much fascinating research on intuition, I can’t wait to share it with you in next week’s video! I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but it includes something fun that I think you’ll like so keep an eye out for it and let know what you think 🙂
My latest video
Harvard has been running a study on what makes us happy throughout our lives for the past 87 years! Turns out, there’s one thing that gives us a happy life above all others. If you haven’t seen it yet, go check out my video on YouTube.