The Science Behind Intuition

Trust your gut. We humans have been doing it for ages, as Bob explains today, in his mini-master class on how intuition is hardwired in our brains—and how making the right decision can be as simple as listening to your own inner voice. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Stay Calm is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome
to Stay Calm, your daily dose of calmness. I'm Bob Roth,
and I've been teaching people to meditate for fifty years,
helping them to stay calm under pressure, reboot and re
energize their lives, and basically be a happier, healthier version

(00:22):
of themselves. And now I want to help you do
the same. Ready, sit comfortably, take a few deep breaths,
and let's begin today's journey. Have you ever been at
a point in your life across roads when you're not
sure what you should be doing, When you're trying to
make a decision about a career change, or a life partner,

(00:44):
or less lofty things like a business deal. You've carefully
studied all the pros and cons, analyze the upsides and downsides,
and then, perhaps an exhaustion or frustration, you just give
up and you go with your gut. You're into issue.
You listen to your inner voice. Of course you have,

(01:05):
We all have well, that inner voice of yours is
not some mystical, inexplicable, totally unreliable mechanism for making choices.
In fact, according to an emerging new science using your
intuition can be a highly effective tool for making good decisions,
sometimes very quickly. This new science is so timely with

(01:27):
the world increasingly chaotic and complex, reliance on linear rational
decision making alone is proving less than reliable, and evidence
points to more and more so called rational thinkers also
going with their gut. In fact, several studies of the
decision making process of top executives show that, yes, they

(01:50):
do analyze mounds of data, but if the information is
not conclusive, they'll rely on their intuition as a guide.
Of course, people of using their intuition forever. But what's
new here is something called the neurobiology of intuition, a
science which helps satisfy the skeptics and gives confidence to

(02:11):
those who find listening to their inner voice helpful. So
here is the briefest of introductions to the key areas
of your brain involved. I've even included a few Latin names. First,
to be able to hear your inner voice, you need
to be at least for that moment inner directed. The
part of the brain that lights up during intuitive thinking

(02:34):
is called the precuneus and is associated with self awareness. Second,
intuitive decisions are based on past experiences. The part of
the brain that lights up here is called the ventro
medial prefrontal cortex, which is where you make decisions and
where your brain stores positive feelings as well as painful

(02:55):
emotions from the past. And finally, as we all know,
the intuitive decision making process is fast, lightning fast. This
part of your brain is called the cow Date nucleus,
which is used for making quick automatic decisions. So there
you have it self awareness, access to the emotions of

(03:18):
past experiences, and the ability to make automatic decisions. That's
your mini master class on intuition. So the next time
anyone tries to call you crazy for following your gut,
be sure to tell him about the ventrol medial prefrontal cortex.
But seriously, the most important takeaway here is that you

(03:39):
can strengthen the power of your own intuition. And for
that there are many things you can do, but all
the experts agree that the single most important one is
to yes, stay calm, and for that you have to
give your brain time to rest. Remember when I spoke
a while ago about how creative ideas emerged from the
resting brain, Well, we need that same quiet, non focused

(04:02):
area of our brain in order to hear our quiet
inner voice. My parting tip about intuition comes from Apple
founder Steve Jobs. He says, quote, don't let the noise
of others opinions drown out your inner voice. And most important,
have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, which

(04:24):
somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything
else is secondary. All right, Let's end this time together
doing something that I think should be a feature of
our everyday life, and that's appreciation and gratitude. So let's
take thirty seconds of quiet, thirty seconds to take a break,

(04:46):
just take a moment. It turns out when we do that,
it's good for our health as well. I'll be right back,

(05:20):
all right. Thank you for joining me today. I hope
you heard something that inspires, that uplifts you and that
you can incorporate into your own life. This is Bob Roth.
Stay calm, hey, all of you out there, I'd love
to hear from you. You can send me your stories,

(05:41):
your questions, or anything else on your mind. Just connect
with me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram at meditation Bob.
You can also send me an email at meditation Bob
Roth at gmail dot com. I look forward to hearing
from you five