Ever had a strong gut instinct about something, but couldn't quite work out why? Well new research suggests that intuition really does exist – and we should generally go with our hunches.
There have been lots of amazing stories where people have used intuition to incredible effect, such as drivers who've slammed on the brakes before discovering a pile-up around the corner, or doctors who've cured a patient based on their instinct rather than hard fact. Yet scientists have generally been highly critical of the idea of intuition really existing.
Until now, that is, with a team of researchers at Leeds University claiming that we're right to trust our 'sixth sense'. Through wide-ranging analysis, the researchers have concluded that intuition is the brain drawing on past experiences coupled with external cues that we only pick up on subconsciously.
Professor Hodgkinson says: "People usually experience true intuition when they are under severe time pressure or in a situation of information overload or acute danger, where conscious analysis of the situation may be difficult or impossible."
"Humans clearly need both conscious and non-conscious thought processes, but it's likely that neither is intrinsically 'better' than the other", he added.
The research is all included in the latest issue of the British Journal of Psychology.