While observing the patterns, the human mind seems to be circuited. As it reaches the strata of the brain, not only does the brain interpret external information, it also retains memories from all of the human preceding events. For as long as a human being is alive, the intuition has been evolving and growing. Each experience is recorded in the human mind, wrong or right. From that deep memory, intuition draws well to guide individual decisions in future expectations.
People enjoy a competitive battle, i.e., Red versus blue, Spirituality versus Faith that all are in contrasting styles. Being a winner means somebody has to finish second. Every God needs a rival. A traditional psychological warfare pits against the subjective instinct of the logical realm of rationality. Statements like, you think too much, you just have to feel or use some common sense ably justify the human thought process. But the mystic is clear as one reads more about neurochemistry. It does not undermine the legitimacy of the human mindset.
For instance, understanding that the amygdaloidal nucleus limbic system processes an element of fear is pointless when one jumps over a bear while hitchhiking. Similarly, understanding that intuition is part of how the human brain works in analyzing knowledge, and not an ethereal sign does undermine its value or significance in maintaining a healthy interaction with individual emotions. An eminent psychiatrist viz., Peter C Whybrow agrees that perception is a key component in shaping up the human brain. He defines intuition as an instinctive self-knowledge controlled by a neural network of pre consciousness.
This special network is influenced by trends of previous observations that help establish moral codes, behaviors and values that have been acquired. While riding a bicycle, consistency leads to proficiency that is not constrained by uncertainty anymore. One unlocks mental space to concentrate on other issues. Intuition tends to occur naturally when a familiar pattern develops afterward. It does not, however, ensure that human intuition is accurate. Although dismissing incidents entail wherein a person’s judgment ability is incorrect, many tend to point out when it occurs. For people’s emotions, it’s a significant oversight, and they don’t prefer their true feeling being off color. Acceptance of intuition as subconscious deep learning does not augur well with those who prefer to attribute the practice to spiritualism, which is unusual, given how often one enjoys the fruits of other forms of such practice, which has rightly been justified by Whybrow. People see no hesitation in knowing that with practice, most cognitive skills and certain mental skills like skiing, riding a bicycle, catching a ball, learning to read and write, all become intuitive.
With such cognitive skills, this failure to combine instinct lays the groundwork for the anticipated war between logic and intuition. Psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman contends that as per Buddhism in title and method, a middle ground between these states of mind allows one to lead a balanced life full of imaginative insights.
He refers to what he terms the imagination network, or the channel of default mode, ordinarily called daydreaming. It is where the element of instinct takes place. An individual unconscious approach pays close attention to its environment, putting pieces of a story together outside of active awareness. While focusing on a task or question, an individual turns his prime attention network on. He pulls back from a lifetime tenacity of subconscious deep learning. What makes people special in the animal kingdom is that in many respects, this talent has propelled them to the top of that rule, which is the ability to both hones in on what is before them and imagine a future determined by the past. It is a balanced seesaw of two aspects.
Whybrow claims that this ability to quickly interpret cognitive trends is what first enabled human societies to survive. Quoting the work of anthropologist and progressive psychologist Robin Dunbar, Whybrow says that the great human frontal cortex did not develop by improving mere nutritional aspects, as it was once believed, but by reacting to the competitive demands of interacting in communities. The natural sense to recognize danger in the shape of a burglar or swindler is as critical in urban environments as detecting that during a mountain run and spotting a deer in the distance. Also, usually, the intuition is perfect for any individual. Yet when it is just five feet away, consider the appearance of the deer, like the intruder lying in wait behind a door, and intuition is rendered ineffective.
While quoting psychologist Daniel Kahneman, Whybrow illustrates that intuitive insight can be trusted only when engaging in normal, expected and secure conceptual conditions when instinctive insight arises. He also stresses that intuition is unreliable in the absence of such balanced eventualities. The fight-flight-freeze system drops in under extreme stress. Prior information remains critical that leads to screaming while waving the arms around that warn the deer, but the intuitive eureka effect will be located nowhere during the adrenaline rush camouflaging one’s body and soul. Human beings are learners and detectors.
The fight conceived is a creation of the same mind that participates in both. One may consider claims from unfounded hypotheses on either side. Emotions that people are not in touch with morality are as misleading as those that spend too much time in their neural executive center. Scholars suggest that experienced practitioners may be incredibly uninspired to demonstrate this contention. In the passionate world of creativity, spending days and days concentrating does not allow the brain the much-needed freedom to wander without constraints.
It is a disappointment, one observes because it will be difficult to get through an Eureka effect. It’s like the feeling when trying to remember something, which does not inundate one’s eyes. To allow human mind space to roam, allowing the issue is often the best way to remember something substantial. Intuition is not a blemish, but a psychological capability. Nevertheless, it is part of the capacity of the brain to grasp the environment, both inside and outside, not something isolated ‘out there. The signals one receives are vital, but not miraculous.
Would you like to read more about this topic? This book might interest you: How Does Intuition Work.