4 Types Of Intuitive Thinking
Intuitive thinking is still a mystery to the world of science today. However, we have managed to make little progress and gain a better understanding of this fascinating and unpredictable part of the brain. It’s something between emotion and reasoning that’s why it’s so mysterious.
Intuitive thinking is basically the kind of thinking that helps you understand reality in an instant, without logic or analysis. There is also no language involved. It’s all about the signs and the senses. Most of the time, it fights against what we might consider “reasonable”.
According to science, intuitive thinking takes place in an area of our brain that is close to the pineal gland. In other words, it runs in line with the center of your forehead, between your eyebrows. However, intuitive thinking cannot be used whenever you want. It only appears in “moments of inspiration”. It also really works. Some people call it the “third eye” or “seer”.
Intuitive thinking and science
The subject of intuitive thinking has led to all sorts of speculation. But because it is so strongly tied to our emotions, it is not very easy to prove anything related to it. It just takes power from a person sometimes and makes their “intuition” really happen.
But science has continued to study it. One major body investigating it is The Laboratory of Brain Evolution and Behavior (part of the U.S. Institute of Mental Health), and is currently headed by Paul MacLean.
According to their research, intuitive thinking comes from the neocortex. It is a special part of the brain that has the properties of both hemispheres of the brain. While they are not entirely sure how it works, they believe it has something to do with the immediate processing of knowledge, experience, and surrounding characters. The end result is a correct interpretation of reality.
Four types of intuitive thinking
People have always spoken of intuition as a kind of “flame” that ignites and illuminates things. Even Albert Einstein said that his research relied heavily on intuition. After all, artists are the people who rely on it the most.
The theory is that there are four different types of intuitive thinking. They are:
- Emotional intuitive thinking. It’s about your ability to immediately notice other people’s character traits or states of mind. You immediately notice what they are like or how they can without them having to say anything.
- Mental intuitive thinking. It is about finding an immediate answer to a problem without analyzing it. It is very common for people whose work requires quick decisions, such as firefighters or bomb technicians.
- Psychic intuitive thinking. It means that you have the ability to choose the best path to overcome personal difficulties without seeing a lot of mental effort in front of it. It also means being able to notice the dynamics associated with sociality and work.
- Spiritual intuitive thinking. It is about “enlightenment” or “revelations”. They are more experiences than facts. Buddhists talk about this type of intuition more than anyone else, which has given it a mystical characteristic.
Is it possible to improve intuition?
It is difficult for many Western people to listen to their own intuition. We are already blinded by reason, so it is hard for us to believe anything that does not use logic or some other scientific way. We’re pushing away a lot of things that don’t seem to be easily explained. That’s why it’s so hard for us to use our own intuition.
In addition, lack of self-confidence inhibits the ability to think intuitively. If you doubt a lot of your own subjective experiences, all your intuitions will be infected with that doubt. So instead of making it easier to find the right answer (using intuition), you get confused and become skeptical.
The best way to improve your intuition is to let it flow more freely. One good way is to put up the first thing that comes to mind in any situation. Make sure you write it down before your reasoning takes over. Let it come exactly the way you see it, like with automatic text input.
Afterwards, you can look at your notes and see if the first impression was right. It either was or it wasn’t. If it makes sense and helps you solve or understand the situation correctly, it is intuition. Doesn’t that sound like a fascinating exercise? Why not try it?
