Neurobiology Of Intuition: The Origin Of Your Hunches

The neurobiology of intuition exists and reveals something very interesting to us: a large part of our decisions are made based on these hunches. At the end of the day, it is nothing more than that internal voice that is in contact with our identity and with the essence of everything lived, felt and experienced. Thus, by giving space to our intuitive side, we provide a valuable tool.

Let’s face it, intuition often leads us to invisible realms, to connect with a side of ourselves that operates in the deepest recesses of the subconscious. Sometimes it is so strange to us that it is common to come to think that this dimension is not very scientific, that by lacking logic it rather enters the realm of the mystical. However, assuming this is a mistake.

Intuition is our sixth sense and, as such, this dimension has extensive scientific literature. We have such interesting books as Educating Intuition by Robin M. Hogarth or Intuitive Intelligence by Malcolm Gladwell. In these works, as in many others that collect contrasted data, they remind us of the importance of this type of resource, which helps us to complement analytical thinking.

What’s more, medical researchers like Jonas Salk, who was once known for developing the polio vaccine, wrote an interesting paper in 1983 titled

What does the neurobiology of intuition tell us?

First, the neurobiology of intuition tells us that these mental processes do not come from the human imagination. They actually have a neurological correlate. It was Dr. Keiji Tanaka from the RIKEN Brain Sciences Institute who carried out an interesting study to try to give answers about how the sixth sense is articulated at the brain level.

To do this, he used skilled shogi players as experimental subjects . It is a game of strategy very similar to chess, in which the most skilled people use intuition brilliantly to make amazing plays. Dr. Tanaka also performed a series of MRIs on this group of people to see which brain areas were used to a greater degree.

The precuneus

Within the neurobiology of intuition, it could be seen that the area that was most illuminated was the precuneus. It is a small part of the superior parietal lobe that, in turn, is located right in the middle of both cerebral hemispheres.

The precuneus, in addition, is related to episodic memory, visuospatial processing and what is more interesting, with our consciousness.

Ventromedial prefrontal cortex

Another interesting area that is activated when we make use of these more intuitive responses is the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. This is undoubtedly a very relevant structure. The reason? In it, information about past rewards is stored, as well as the weight of errors suffered or events that we should avoid in order not to suffer unpleasant consequences.

• It was, in fact, the famous neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, who determined the importance of this area in our decision making. The most remarkable thing about this area is that it encourages us to emit responses based on emotions.
• To understand it better we will give an example. We meet someone at a party, someone who invites us to come to their house afterwards.
• The ventromedial prefrontal cortex can do a quick analysis based on past experiences. Perhaps the character, appearance, way of speaking of that person causes us distrust, because it reminds us of another whose results were not good.

• Therefore, this structure will emit an alarm emotion to give us a wake-up call. That will be the way in which the voice of intuition is present in our conscious mind.

Now, once we have heard that inner voice, we have two options. Pay attention to it or pass that feeling through the filter of more analytical thinking to make a more thorough evaluation.

The caudate nucleus

Scientific studies on the neurobiology of intuition also tell us about the caudate nucleus. This structure is part of the basal ganglia, areas linked to learning processes, our habits and the most automatic behaviors.

The caudate nucleus, therefore, facilitates that impulse to the sixth sense to help us make quick and almost automatic decisions based on previous experiences or learning.

In this way, and as we can see with all this data, there is little room to suspect that these processes respond to mere imagination or chance. draws on the essence of our personality

Let us always attend to that inner voice, complementing it with analytical thinking.