Your friend introduces you to her classmate at a party, and at first, nothing seems amiss. However, something feels unsettling about the person, and you have the urge to stay away from them. Somehow, the feeling is correct, and you later find out information that confirms your suspicions about the person. We make thousands of decisions every day, but for those that arise out of nowhere, what are their actual roots?
Gut feelings, or intuition, are reactions or beliefs based on an instinct that can’t always be explained. Nowadays, it’s a popular phrase used in everyday language to describe or justify decisions that we make.
The brain and the gut are connected by the enteric nervous system (ENS), otherwise referred to as the body’s “second brain”. The ENS is a complex neural network of roughly 100 million neurons that line the digestive tract. There, gut cells are able to detect nutrient and chemical changes and communicate them to the brain through neural pathways. The ENS also regulates and synthesizes hormones such as serotonin, influencing the brain’s interpretation of mood changes or signals.
People report many different sensations when they get a gut feeling. These signals can manifest physically, like fluttering or tightening in your stomach. This includes the sensation that we refer to as “butterflies,” as well as a rush of warmth or a faster heartbeat.
Sudden intuition can be linked to brain processes that may be taking place subconsciously. Your brain is constantly collecting and processing information, some of which you are aware of. However, the information that is being unconsciously connected is still being processed by the brain.
In reality, gut feelings are a form of pattern recognition. The brain compares knowledge to past experiences, storing them up. It eventually makes rapid decisions, even before you consciously realize it. A 2016 study confirms that with unconscious information, people are more confident in their decisions.
The automatic connection between a current event and a past experience is why clarity can suddenly come upon you, encouraging a fast decision that can be accurate. If you’ve encountered a similar situation before, your gut may be more reliable because of the exposure. A healthcare professional would probably be able to tell if something is wrong with their patient, similar to how an experienced driver may sense traffic.
However, intuition isn’t always perfect. Anxiety or overthinking can often override rationality, and they can often have the same sensations that gut feelings bring. In order to differentiate, it’s important to note that gut feelings are usually clear and confident, even if you don’t understand where they’re coming from. In contrast, anxiety has less clarity and more uncertainty.
From sudden instincts to life-altering choices, gut feelings are far more than superstitious beliefs. Learning to trust your intuition at the right times is a simple, but often accurate way to navigate a life full of decisions.
