THE POWER of EUREKA

 

That little voice that nudges you when you're stuck between two choices?  It's real,
says HELEN FISHER, PHD.

You're FACED WITH a difficult decision, and suddenly you feel the right answer in your gut. But while intuition may seem to arise from some mysterious may seem to arise from some mysterious inner source, it's actually a form of unconscious reasoning one that's rooted in the way our brains collect and store information.

 As you accumulate knowledge whether it's about what books your spouse likes or how to play chess you begin to recognize patterns. Your brain unconsciously organizes these patterns into blocks of information a process the late social scientist Hervert Simon, PhD, called chucking. Over time your brain chunks and links more and more patterns, then stores these clusters of knowledge in your long term memory. When you see a tiny detail of a familiar design, you instantly recognize the larger composition and that's what we regard as a flash of intuition.

The elaborate brain circuitry likely evolved so our forebears could size up a person or a situation quickly. Our female ancestors, in particular, needed this skill: They had to tune in to their infants to enable them to survive. And this helps explain why women today have and edge when it comes to reading people. So listen 
to your gut feelings instead of brushing them aside. Your right, but it can be a useful first step in decision making.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When to Let Your Instincts Guide You

Listen to your intuition when you're.....................
Doing Something You're Experienced In.
intuition is really learned expertise in disguise. So if you've played tennis your whole life, go with your instinct on the court instead of thinking through each stroke.

CONSIDERING GETTING A SECOND OPINION.
Listening to your body's signals can help prevent bigger health problems, says Judith Orloff, MD, a psychiatrist at UCLA and author of Second Sight. If your doctor dismisses a nagging symptom as nothing serious but you're still convinced there's something wrong go with your hunch.

SHOPPING FOR A HOME...................
Don't just endlessly analyze the financials; listen to your gut. Studies have found that purchasers are more satisfied with a big budget item when the decision is made incorporating unconscious thought rater than by conscious deliberation alone.

Let your head decide when you're..................................
Sniffing out A Lie. There are no easily detectable signs that indicate lying, so even if you're adept at reading people, you can't infer dishonesty based on the other person's gestures or behavior, say David Myers, PhD, author of intuition: Its Powers and Perils.

HIRING SOMEONE FOR A JOB.
If there's a contest between your positive gut feeling and what work samples and recommendations tell you, forget your gut. Your intuition may be based on something superficial like whether the candidate reminds you of a close friend that has nothing to do with performance, says Myers...By: Lauren Dzubow
(Health wise)