According to Gerd Gigerenzer, who works at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, true intuitiveness is having the necessary instinct to understand what knowledge we need to focus on and what we can afford to forget.
In his work ‘Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious’, Gerd explains how intuition and rationality can go hand in hand by using himself as an example. While immersed in his research, he often gets a hunch which he usually takes forward because he just knows that it will give him the answer. But he also double checks using scientific formulae to actually figure out the reasons behind his hunches. But when it comes to personal matters, he goes solely by what his intuition tells him.
So where does intuition stand? It hasn’t been formally recognized as intelligence. What does that mean for a person who has a sharper intuition than most?
Intuition is a form of intelligence but it needs to go along with other facts. Those who already possess intellectual curiosity and are willing to work hard to learn more are definitely intelligent. You can’t just sit around and wait for knowledge to strike you. The drive to explore a topic and look at all its aspects is necessary. When your intuition gives you a hunch then, that is definitely a form of intelligence and a very important one at that.
One way to understand intuition is by looking at it as having a grasp on collective intelligence. If we look at the way the world wide web is put together, the organization of sites depends on intuition so that users are able to have a better understanding of their working and can easily find their way around. It took years to develop this concept of removing unnecessary information to be understood. The internet used to be fairly chaotic earlier.
According to Theo Humphries, for a design to be true based on intuition, it must be capable of being understood even when there are no tutorials. Users must be able to get a sense of it because it must be part of the collective intelligence that we all share.
When intuition and discipline go hand in hand, extraordinary results can be achieved. The basics of any subject need to be learned, logic must be sought after, and your intelligence needs to be exercised for your intuition to be truly powerful. The more you study, the sharper your intuition will be. You can’t just laze around and then be offended when others aren’t trusting of your gut instincts because they’re then just a shot in the dark.
Most of us would have heard of Einstein’s theory on intuition. He believed that intuition was a gift and rationality a servant. Society tends to praise the servant but it forgets that the gift exists. There are times when your rationality can lead you down the wrong path so you’ll need your intuition to bring you back on track. If you feel like something is wrong, it is your intuitive mind warning you that you need to think in a different manner.
Those who are intelligent pay attention to these warnings. The best among us use this gut instinct to take big risks and they are the ones who are truly successful. Disciplining your intuition is the key.