For decades, intuition has been dismissed as mysterious or irrational, a ‘gut feeling’ with no scientific basis.
But new research shows the opposite, that intuition is a real, measurable brain process that draws on experience, memory and knowledge to help us make quick, accurate decisions.
In his book El valor de la intuición (Ariel), Spanish researcher Mikel Alonso, a lecturer at Complutense University of Madrid, explains that intuition can be trained and improved, shaping how we decide in work, relationships and everyday life.
‘Of the roughly 35,000 decisions a person makes each day, only about 100 are truly conscious,’ he says. ‘The rest come from intuition.’
Alonso describes intuition as an action-oriented, unconscious and rapid system that draws probabilistic conclusions from experience.
Far from being random, it is the brain’s way of compressing years of learning into instant judgement.
‘Your brain is constantly scanning for patterns,’ he explains. ‘It collects information and predicts what will happen next – that’s intuition at work.’
However, he warns that love is the one area where intuition often fails.
‘Romantic decisions are clouded by a cocktail of neurotransmitters. In that setting, intuition loses accuracy,’ he says.
One of the biggest misconceptions, Alonso notes, is confusing intuition with cognitive bias. Biases are shortcuts the brain takes to save energy, often leading to error. Intuition, by contrast, is built on knowledge, learning and embodied experience.
‘When someone develops deep, silent knowledge in a field, they can reduce the influence of their biases,’ he adds.
Do women really have stronger intuition?
Scientific evidence suggests women may show greater speed and accuracy in intuitive decisions, thanks in part to social and emotional training. But, Alonso says, men can learn to reach similar levels of intuitive skill through experience – especially in professions involving empathy or human interaction.
Experience builds intuition
Ultimately, intuition combines what we know consciously with what we’ve absorbed unconsciously. It’s fast, but it learns slowly, strengthening over time through repetition and exposure. Older adults, therefore, tend to make more intuitive choices because they’ve accumulated far more experience and context.
Emotions, Alonso adds, are also part of the system: ‘They complement intuition. Without them, every decision would be torture.’
To sharpen this instinct, he advises cultivating curiosity, optimism and continuous learning, and, above all, not overthinking.
