Trust Your Instinct, Your Internal Voice

You know that ‘voice’ in the back of your head? ( hopefully it’s just one voice ;) ) You should probably listen to it. In other words, trust your instinct – your gut – your sense – your intuition.

We humans have a knack of consciously (and subconsciously) recognizing a gut instinct when it happens. Sometimes it’s fairly obvious, while other times it’s a nagging sensation.

Sure, some decisions are better made with a long and detailed analysis and thought process. However there are many decisions that are just as effective (or more-so) with quick thinking and reaction.

I’ve read that you’re more likely to perform well if you don’t think too hard — and instead trust your instincts. Research shows that in some cases, instinctive snap decisions are more reliable than decisions taken using higher-level cognitive processes.

One study (from the Journal of Consumer Research) concluded that people who deliberate about decisions make less accurate judgments than people who trust their instincts. In five separate studies, the researchers found that better judgments can often be made without deliberation.

As you gain more life experience, you build up a background reservoir of understanding, wisdom and knowledge which lead to instincts. When called upon, more often than not, your instincts will probably be right – or close to right.

When it comes to survival, making the right decisions is key to success. In some situations your decision-response-time could make the difference between success and failure – being first or being last – getting out of a dangerous situation – or even life and death.

The next time you get that instinctive feeling about (whatever or whomever), tune in to your inner voice of intuition. Don’t ignore it. It’s probably right…