When Our Intuition Fails

It's easy to assume you know the truth about someone when often your judgment is dead wrong

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Meeting someone for the first time, our initial response is to immediately judge their character based on intuition, past experience, and a very limited data set. We believe our discernment is always on point and that by placing labels and filling in the blanks, we are making a situation more clear.

It is easy to assume a great deal about a person from a small set of data. Our intuition is there to give us a sense of things without the need for conscious and critical reasoning, and it often guides us in the right direction. I'm sure you've had plenty of instances where an initial icky feeling about someone turned out to be proven right.

Use your intuition but don't be afraid to challenge it

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There are instances in life where our intuition tells us something only to have it turn out to be mostly incorrect. Perhaps we believed a person was not to be trusted, that some aspect of their body language or a small snippet of their words was enough evidence that they were of poor character.

But despite our preconceived notions, their actions end up proving our intuition wrong, and we are left to deal with the fact that we aren't actual fortune-tellers. The intelligent response would be to admit to ourselves that we were wrong, analyze why we made the assumption, and keep this scenario in mind the next time this situation arises.

However, it is often the case that we will go back to making the same judgment based on limited data because our ego convinces us that that instance was an aberration. Instead of using this information as a way to enhance our perception, the convenient response is to forget about it and continue prejudging people upon first glance.

Intuition should not be ignored, but neither should conscious reasoning

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It seems intuition is put on a pedestal, as if it is the answer to all situations in life. There is a mystical element to putting our faith completely into intuition, as we believe we are connecting with the universal consciousness of the world by following our gut/heart/soul.

In many instances, this can be a useful tool to wade through the muck of reality. Certainly, there is a place for intuitive thinking and feeling and I don't want to deride this aspect of ourselves or completely throw out this concept.

But when we rely solely on our intuitive processes, we neglect to utilize critical and conscious analysis. If we only rely on our gut feelings, we ignore the actual events that occur in front of our eyes.

We also tend to see everything through the lens of our preconceived ideas, reducing reality down to a story where the ending is mostly written before the acts have a chance to play out. There is value to this component of our mind, but it is definitely not everything.

Finding a balance between our intuition and rational intellect

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Intuition is useful in its ability to make snap decisions in the moment based on our instinct. In survival scenarios, a strong intuition is invaluable for keeping us safe.

The rational intellect is valuable in making decisions that are important but not necessarily urgent or life-threatening. Going beyond our emotional state of mind to dissect potential outcomes is essential to making informed decisions. Utilizing logic to remove contradictions and attain a level of certainty is something that intuition simply cannot provide on its own.

If we are looking to purchase a home, simply relying on our gut to give us the best decision is unwise. There are important factors, such as the physical condition of the home, the terms of the loan, the state of the neighborhood, and other crucial elements that an intuitive mind does not respond well to.

Intuition and rational intellect need to coexist if we are to achieve a harmonious and balanced existence. The allure of intuitive thinking is strong and following our gut can certainly be a useful tool.

But we must keep in mind that a well reasoned and logical approach has major benefits. Keep that in mind the next time you intuitively judge a situation, especially if you have the luxury of not simply acting on a hunch.

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All uncredited pictures from pixabay.com or my personal account

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