Intuition: Should We Consider It in Our Decisions and Give It Credit with Trust?

We say things like:

“I was guided by my intuition when I made this move,” or

“I trust my intuition, that’s why I bought this car,” or even

“My intuition helped me choose my romantic partner.”

Intuition is treated as a mysterious inner compass, but what is it really? Is it an emotion, a form of learned wisdom, or something else entirely? Should we consciously rely on it, and how do we recognise the genuine feeling of intuition rather than mistaken impressions? These questions led me to research the topic more deeply and reflect on my own experiences.

To understand how intuition is studied academically and to convince myself of the importance of the subject, I turned to some of the world’s leading research institutions. Harvard’s Department of Psychology has long contributed to modern cognitive science. Stanford University, through its psychology and business programs, plays a key role in studying intuition and real-world decision-making. Princeton University, with the influential work of Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman, has shaped our understanding of cognitive biases and the mechanics behind intuitive reasoning. Platforms like the National Library of Medicine ²and Oxford Academic also provide extensive research on intuition, named as “cognitive phenomena rooted in nonconscious information processing”.¹

One recent publication, Neuroscience of Flow / Active Inference (2024), offers a useful definition. It describes intuition as

In simpler terms, intuition is your brain’s built-in quick thinker.

It works beneath your awareness, noticing patterns you’ve absorbed over time, and giving you a gut feeling long before your conscious mind begins to analyze anything.

It rapidly absorbs information, recognizes familiar patterns, forms a sense of the bigger picture, and offers a subtle signal about what might happen next. Sometimes the brain even runs quick internal “simulations,” like tiny flashes of possible scenarios, to guide you

The first is Red-Light Intuition, which serves as your internal warning system. It is primal and protective, like a sudden gut feeling or a subtle tightening in your body that tells you something is dangerous.

Imagine Jane walking home from work. She usually takes a shortcut through a quiet street, but tonight she feels an unexpected tightness in her stomach as she approaches it. The street looks normal, but her body’s message is clear: don’t go there. She listens, chooses a better-lit route, and later discovers that a break-in happened in that area.

This is red-light intuition - sharp, protective, and immediate.

Next is Green-Light Intuition, which guides you gently toward opportunities, creativity, and growth. It often comes as a feeling of lightness, curiosity, or quiet excitement.

Look at the example of Jane, who experiences this as well. She has lived in the same neighbourhood for years, but lately she feels a subtle restlessness. One weekend, she strolls through a nearby area and is surprised by a warm, expanding yes in her chest. There are no signs or dramatic confirmations - just an inner lift that tells her this place feels right. A week later, she finds an apartment there that fits her needs perfectly.

This is green-light intuition: an energizing, encouraging signal pointing toward something aligned and new.

The third type, White-Light Intuition, is the most subtle and spiritual. It’s less about immediate action and more about long-term alignment with who you truly are. It brings clarity, peace, and a sense of inner truth.

After several years of dating on and off, Jane takes a step back from trying to find someone. She spends time reconnecting with herself - journaling, walking in nature, and learning what truly matters to her in a relationship.

One quiet evening, while talking with a close friend, she suddenly feels a deep inner clarity - not forced, not emotional, but calm and true. She realizes she doesn’t want a dramatic, high-intensity romance. She wants a partnership where she feels safe, seen, and steady. Someone who shares her values, and brings peace rather than chaos.

It isn’t about a specific person yet. It’s about understanding the kind of love that aligns with who she really is. In the weeks that follow, she notices she’s drawn to people who feel grounded and kind, and she naturally stops entertaining connections that drain her energy. Eventually, she meets someone who matches that inner knowing - and the relationship unfolds naturally, without pressure.

This is white-light intuition guiding Jane: a clear, peaceful truth about the kind of love that aligns with her deeper self.

Understanding the differences between these forms of intuition can help you become more self-aware and reflective. But it’s also important to recognise that intuition can sometimes be mistaken for anxiety, past trauma, or even wishful thinking.

Anxiety often disguises itself as intuition; it feels tense, urgent, and fear-driven, warning you about dangers that might not exist.

Trauma responses can make you withdraw from situations that simply resemble past discomfort, even when they are safe.

Wishful thinking whispers what you want to hear, not what is actually true.

Genuine intuition, by contrast, is quieter and steadier. It does not shout or panic. It feels grounded - a gentle touch of clarity, a sense that something is simply right or wrong without drama.

A helpful way to distinguish intuition from anxiety is to ask yourself whether your feeling is based on evidence or on fear. Does your body feel tense or calm and focused?

Anxiety often brings a racing heart, tightening muscles, and catastrophic thoughts.

Intuition, even the red-light kind, tends to be precise and calm. It stops you, but it does not overwhelm you.

Tati Garcia, a licensed therapist and coach, teaches how important it is to understand what intuition actually feels like in your body - and how to recognise when a sensation is actually anxiety, a trauma response, or another feeling disguised as intuition.

Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes. Focus on a situation, statement, opinion, or even a type of food or treatment that you genuinely dislike or disagree with. Say it out loud, visualize it clearly, and wait for your body’s response.

Notice what happens and name it. Is it a pinching sensation? Tension? A heaviness that makes you want to curl inward or disappear? Your experience may be different, but this exercise helps you understand how “No” feels in your body.

Then you can do the opposite. Calm yourself and imagine something you genuinely love - a family gathering, a beautiful landscape, a hobby you enjoy, or an experience that fills you with excitement or comfort. How does your body respond?

Name the sensations again: perhaps a pleasant thrill, a sense of relief in your muscles, or a lightness in your head. This is how “Yes” feels to you.

Tati suggests practicing this regularly so you can recognise various degrees of these sensations and become aware of how your body communicates. Over time, this builds self-trust and helps you make intuitive decisions with more confidence.

Intuition tends to work best in certain situations - especially when your brain has enough real-life experience to recognise patterns. Your gut feeling becomes a kind of quiet intelligence.

👉 You’ve built experience or skill in a certain area. Your brain has seen these patterns before and knows what to do.

👉 The environment is familiar and predictable. When situations repeat, your intuition gets very good at spotting what’s happening.

👉 You need to decide very quickly. Intuition is faster than logical analysis.

👉 Your brain has enough past examples to draw from. It’s not magic - it’s stored experience working behind the scenes.

But intuition isn’t always the right guide. It can get misleading when the situation is outside your comfort zone.

🤦‍♀️ You’re in a completely new or unfamiliar situation. Your brain has no patterns to rely on.

🤦‍♀️ Strong emotions take over. Fear, excitement, stress, or old triggers can confuse the signal.

🤦‍♀️ The stakes are high, but your expertise is low. In these cases, intuition is often just a guess wearing a confident outfit.