In a world that prizes logic and data, intuition is our quiet revolution, a way to reconnect with our inner wisdom, our creativity, and the subtle signals of the brain and heart that logic alone cannot measure.

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Neuroscience shows that intuition is the brain’s ability to detect and interpret patterns without conscious effort. When we face a complex decision, the brain rapidly scans vast networks of prior experiences and emotional markers, producing a “gut feeling” — the body’s shorthand for accumulated wisdom.

• Antonio Damasio, a renowned neuroscientist at the University of Southern California discovered through his Somatic Marker Hypothesis that emotions and bodily sensations (“gut feelings”) are essential for sound decision-making. Without emotional signals, logic alone fails.

• Daniel Kahneman, in Thinking, Fast and Slow, described intuition as “System 1 thinking” — fast, automatic, associative — a necessary complement to deliberate reasoning.

• Gerd Gigerenzer, in Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious, demonstrated that intuitive decisions often outperform analytical ones in uncertain conditions.​ As he states  “Intuition is recognition — the brain seeing patterns too quickly for words.”

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Reflections & wisdom​​

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Grounded in neuroscience, psychology, and contemplative practice, here are five science-backed ways to strengthen your intuitive intelligence:

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1. Quiet the Noise: Practice Stillness

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Why it works: When you reduce sensory input, your brain’s default mode network (DMN) — involved in self-reflection and insight — becomes more active. This allows intuitive signals to surface.

How: Try 5–10 minutes of mindfulness meditation, gentle breathing, or time in nature daily.

Benefit: Increases self-awareness and strengthens access to subtle emotional cues.
 

2. Listen to Your Body

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Why it works: Intuition often appears as sensations — tightness, warmth, expansion, calm. The brain-body connection (via the vagus nerve and insula) carries intuitive data before thoughts form.
 

How: Pause when faced with a decision and scan your body. What feels light? What feels heavy?
 

Benefit: Improves decision accuracy and emotional clarity.

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3. Engage Your Curiosity

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Why it works: Curiosity triggers dopamine release and activates the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, improving learning and flexible thinking — two key elements of intuition.
 

How: Ask open questions: “What if…?” or “What am I not seeing yet?”
 

Benefit: Enhances creativity and reduces fear of the unknown.
 

4. Journal Your Gut Feelings

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Why it works: Writing helps integrate intuitive insights with analytical thought, activating both hemispheres of the brain. Reflecting on when your intuition was right builds self-trust.

How: Keep a small “intuition journal.” Record hunches, bodily sensations, outcomes, and lessons.
 

Benefit: Reinforces neural pathways between awareness and confidence.

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5. Immerse in Nature

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Why it works: Natural environments reduce stress hormones (cortisol) and enhance alpha brain waves associated with creativity and calm, the optimal state for intuition.
 

How: Spend at least 20 minutes daily in a natural setting, without digital devices.
 

Benefit: Improves mood, insight, and emotional regulation.

 

 

In essence, Intuition is the deep current beneath rational thought, the sea within, as Icelandic filmmaker, author and thinker Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir beautifully calls it. Listen to the interview with Hrund here.

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