American psychologists have found a scientific explanation for the "sixth sense"
Each of us is familiar with the feeling when the right decision is made by itself, by intuition. This sensation is sometimes referred to as the "sixth sense." What is it and can you trust him? Scientists from Northwestern University, USA, described the exact electrophysiological mechanisms of the origin of intuition and conclude that listening to your "sixth sense" is not only possible, but necessary. This is reported by ScienceDaily with reference to the publication Nature Neuroscience.
The information that we carry in the brain is divided into conscious and unconscious. In their recent work, researchers have shown that those "intuitive" assumptions that a person is able to make in the process of solving a particular problem are based on nothing more than unconscious memories.
“In fact, we know much more than we think. says Ken Paller, professor of psychology and one of the study's authors. "Unconscious memory can come into play, for example, when we need to identify the person of a suspect in a crime, or correctly answer a question on a test."
As part of their work, the researchers conducted an experiment in which they showed volunteers a series of colorful images. Pictures quickly replaced each other on the monitor screen. The subjects examined half of them very carefully, trying to remember. And while viewing another part of the images, the subjects were distracted: the researchers loudly called the numbers 3, 8 or 4 and offered to keep them in memory.
Later, psychologists again showed the participants in the experiment a kaleidoscope of pictures, both old and new, and offered to choose those that they had already seen before. In this case, the brain signals of the subjects were recorded on an electroencephalogram (EEG). EEG made it possible to draw conclusions about what electrophysiological mechanisms accompany conscious and unconscious choice.
“It is noteworthy that people were more likely to recognize those pictures, from memorizing which we had previously distracted them with the need to memorize numbers,” says Paller. Diffusion of attention is believed to interfere with memorability. “But our research has shown that the brain's information storage system works well even when we're not trying to consciously remember something,” he continues.
“We shouldn't rely on conscious memory alone. - the scientist sums up. - On the contrary, we should develop intuition. An intuitive decision can often be the right one and can help find solutions to all kinds of problems in everyday life."
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It is rightly said that the "sixth sense" is one of the most correct. It is an important part of a person's ability to be creative and creative. To trust intuition or not is everyone's choice. But the fact that it is worth listening to it is now not just speculation, but a proven scientific fact.
