The Neuroscience of Intuition
How do the brain and the nervous system communicate our inner knowing?
By Robin Arnett, LCSW
Intuition and the Brain
Although the word “intuition” can give the impression of witchy woo woo, intuition has actually been studied extensively by neuroscientists. Scientists think of intuition not so much through a spiritual lens, but as a sense of knowing that you get without knowing logically where it comes from.
Researchers in this area generally see intuition as the result of information processing in the brain that leads to prediction based on previous experience. What this is essentially saying is that we learn through our experiences, which helps us to process information more quickly and adaptively, leading to intuitive feelings and judgements.
Scientists like Keiji Tanaka of the RIKEN Brain Science Institute have done extensive brain scans on research subjects to identify which areas of the brain light up when connecting to intuitive knowledge.
Here are some of the areas of the brain that are considered to be linked to intuition:
The Corpus Collosum: The corpus collosum is the connective white matter that links the left and right hemispheres of the brain. What’s interesting about the corpus collosum is that it is generally thicker in women than in men. This may give women the ability to better integrate our intuitive sense into our decision-making process, rather than compartmentalizing.
The Precuneus: The precuneus is relevant to episodic memory and visual-spatial processing, and is also considered to play a role in consciousness. What this essentially means is that the precuneus takes in information from your surroundings, and remembers specific moments in time.
The Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex: This part of the brain is important in storing information related to experiences of past rewards and mistakes. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex codes past experiences using emotion, and communicates through emotion as well.
The Caudate Nucleus: The caudate nucleus is part of the basal ganglia, which is important in our processes of learning, the formation of habits, and automatic behaviors. The basal ganglia receive a tremendous amount of information from the cortex (the brain's outermost layer responsible for higher functions like consciousness, thought, memory, and language) and then communicate back to the cortex. The basal ganglia and the cortex communicate information back and forth to one another. Essentially, the caudate nucleus is a place where specialized knowledge is stored and centralized.
The Insula: Integrates bodily sensations with emotional cues.
The Amygdala: Processes emotional stimuli and informs instinctual reactions that appear before our conscious awareness.
The picture that we can begin to put together is that intuition coalesces as our experiences, their results (positive or negative), the circumstances around us including sensory information, and our habits and automatic responses. We can also see that intuition brings together both logical and emotional information processing by connecting the two sides of the brain.
Somatic Markers
Intuition communicates through emotion. This is part of what makes intuitive reasoning different from analytic reasoning, and is part of why it can so often be dismissed. Emotions are often downplayed as being irrational and illogical, but the truth is that emotions give us the ability to code and interpret information. We do this through something called “somatic markers.”
Neuroscientist Antonio Demasio coined the term somatic markers. Somatic markers are essentially the physical expressions of feelings and emotions that help to guide our decisions and influence our behavior. This concept can help us to understand how emotion communicates important information. An example of a somatic marker could be something like a tightening in your abdomen or a quickening heart rate when you find yourself in a risky situation. These physical experiences are communicating the message that you are potentially unsafe, and may need to find a way to leave.
Emotions are essential in our ability to interpret our world and make good decisions, and they communicate through the body. In fact, people who lose the ability to connect with somatic markers due to health conditions have been shown to experience defective planning and decision-making. Don’t underestimate this valuable source of information.
Intuition and the Nervous System
Emotion is intricately linked to the nervous system. Our vagus nerve connects our gut microbiota to our brain, communicating constantly about what we are taking in on a visceral level. The enteric nervous system, aka the gut, contains hundreds of millions of neurons, and can be thought of like a second brain. Polyvagal theory can help us to better understand how the nervous system takes in and interprets information. Check out this blog post for a deep dive into the gut microbiome.
Essential Communication
Intuition is not just an abstract concept reserved for séances and tarot readings, but is actually an important function of the brain and the nervous system that is crucial to our ability to survive. Beyond basic survival, we have scientific evidence to suggest that intuition helps us to make better decisions in our daily lives. In fact, analytical overthinking can actually hinder our decision-making process, and lead to less satisfaction with outcomes.
When you are arguing with yourself about whether or not to trust your gut, remember that many respected scientists have studied this subject, and found the answer to be an emphatic “yes!” Intuition is a real phenomenon with tangible importance. Give your intuition the respect it deserves.
