Ever thought that intuition is a whole bunch of “woo”? Well, that’s not quite the case. Especially when you dive into the various studies that have set out to scientifically prove the power of intuition.
So if your analytical mind is looking for a little factual evidence that your intuition is worth trusting, you’re in luck.
University of South Wales: Intuition and Decision-Making
A team of researchers from the University of South Wales conducted an in-depth research study into how intuition not only plays a part in efficient decision-making, but improves it. The study centered around showcasing how groups of individuals were able to use subconscious information to make quicker decisions with more efficiency and confidence.
The researchers used emotion-invoking imagery as the basis of their experiment, showing participants both positive and negative images and then testing how they were able to subconsciously access the information in the images even when they weren’t being directly shown. You can find their full findings in Psychological Science (one of the most well-respected publications in the Psychology field, might I add!)
University of Exeter: The Correlation between Gut Feelings and Decision-Making
Researchers at the University of Exeter conducted a ground-breaking study around intuition – centered around how our subconscious and intuitive mind stores information, and how that information can show up through the ever famous “gut feeling.” The study aimed to show how physical gut feelings have deep-rooted effects in how we make decisions, and how it can lead to more efficient and powerful decision-making overall.
One of the big takeaways from the study was that decisions made from gut feeling alone proved to be every bit – if not more – powerful than those made purely through cognitive ability. You can read the findings from the study here.
Italian Study of Intention and Gut Feelings
A group of Italian scientists performed a study to prove the correlation between gut feelings and intention. The fascinating study worked with groups of individuals to have them use their hunches and gut feelings to make predictions of other people’s actions (in the study’s case, whether or not an individual would drink from a bottle of water or pour out its contents.)
Even the participants in the study were immensely surprised at the accuracy of their predictions – with over an 80% accuracy rate. Participants went off gut feeling and instinct alone in making decisions. You can read the full findings of this ground-breaker here in Nature Scientific Reports.
As the science behind intuition is becoming more widely-studied, it’s turning the heads of powerful organizations. The US Navy recently invested $3.8 billion in a four-year research study to maximize the use of instinct and sixth sense for operational use within the military. The Navy believes that utilizing intuition more actively in their training practices will result in more efficient decision-making and better leadership overall.
Does intuition still sound like “woo”!?