Convinced of the omnipotence of science, people still believe in the existence of mystical experience. And the topic where scientists and crafty gurus converge very closely is intuition, or the "sixth sense". How can you tell facts from fantasies? Yes, people have the gift of enlightenment, but …
Since ancient times, a certain sacred meaning has been attributed to intuition. It was assumed that it is possessed mainly by the "chosen ones" who have a connection with higher powers - shamans, healers, psychics, clairvoyants, and even fools. But experience shows that almost all of us at least once in our life have come across the feeling that some event is about to happen. And it happened.
A reasonable explanation
There are several basic views on the mechanism and origin of intuition.
Unconscious perception
Scientists believe that intuition is nothing more than the ability of our brain to unnoticeably read out quite explicit information, correlate it with existing experience and draw appropriate conclusions. The participation of consciousness is not necessary for this process. Everything happens in the "background". We noted the features of facial expressions, reactions to the event of the interlocutor - and we already guess what he will say or do. No magic.
Body knowledge
The information accumulated by the brain may not be realized, but the body responds without error. That is why often the totality of some small events causes in us unformed anxiety, the cause of which we cannot understand in any way. And when a tragedy occurs, we believe that this anxiety was a “premonition”. In fact, anxiety is often a derivative of our physical sensations, which are primary. For example, increased heart rate, acceleration of the autonomic nervous system are most often interpreted as anxiety. The question is why these mechanisms are triggered.
Promotional video:
Researcher from the University of Iowa (USA) Antonio Damasio claims that the results of previous experience can trigger these processes in the body.
Such conclusions of the scientist were prompted by the results of the following experiment. The subject was offered four decks of cards: two - blue, two - green. Each card indicated the amount that the player had to receive or give to the bank. Before the start of the game, no one guessed that in blue decks the winnings and the amounts to be lost were larger, and in green decks the winnings were more modest, but they fell out more often.
Turning over cards at random, after about fifty attempts, players began to understand this pattern and began to choose only green cards, not wanting to lose money. However, the temperature and humidity sensors, fixed on their hands, testified that intuitively they "knew everything" after a dozen attempts. From that moment on, their bodies were stressed every time they took up the blue card.
But it took them forty more "trial and error" to "come with the mind" to the desired solution. By this time, their body was already "beating the alarm": their hands began to sweat from the exertion. Still unable to substantiate their choice, they still made it. Thus, our bodies are often smarter than we think.
Accumulated competence
The first attempt at a scientific explanation of intuition came from the writings of Carl Jung. It was he who put forward the theory of the collective unconscious as a repository of the enormous potential of knowledge and experience. According to Jung, intuition provides a direct connection between consciousness and the collective unconscious, which allows you to meaningfully interpret experience and, at the right time, accurately "predict the future."
Indeed, a person can know the answer to a question by virtue of accumulated experience. Thus, chess masters intuitively recognize standard combinations that beginners do not notice. The unconscious perceives everything that happens, and only some information goes to the level of consciousness and even less is really realized, that's why there are so few great chess players and illusionists.
Integrity of perception
It so happens that as soon as a person starts to "turn on logic" in an attempt to find the most correct solution to a problem, he rapidly moves away from the result. This effect can be explained by the fact that one can quickly understand the essence of the problem, see the situation as a whole and react with lightning speed only with the help of intuitive experience. And intuitive experience is a holistic image in which details are not always important, they fade into the background, are taken into account, but unconsciously. Logical thinking is a chain that is formed, starting from the details, to the image of the whole.
This has also been confirmed experimentally. Ya. A. Ponomarenko conducted an experiment in which the subject was first asked to “walk” through a schematic mini-labyrinth, and then along a real one. The result was as follows: if under normal conditions, passing the maze, the subject made 70-80 mistakes, then after solving the schematic - no more than 8-10.
The most amazing thing, however, was that as soon as the subject was asked to explain the reason for choosing the path in the maze, the number of errors increased sharply. That is, in a well-realized logical mode, a person does not have access to his intuitive experience. As soon as he turns on the analysis, at the same time doubts arise about the correctness of the actions.
Emotional reactions
When there is no time to think, intuition can be the result of instant emotional reactions. The one and only smallest
A neuron transmits information from the eyes or ears to the sensory distribution center of the brain (thalamus) and back to the center of emotional control (amygdala) even before the thought process realizes that something has happened. In this sense, intuitive experience plays a protective role, therefore it is often stereotyped. For example, a person may not like a certain type of people. In this case, intuition can lead to a refusal to communicate for no apparent reason.
Virginity and the "third EYE"
People inclined to mysticism insist that the sixth sense has its own "organ". We are talking about a pea-sized organ - the pineal gland, which is located behind the pituitary gland. The pineal gland is called the "third eye" because this organ is activated under the influence of light pulses emanating from the eyes. In addition, in amphibians, this organ has the rudiments of the lens and retina, which also makes it similar to the organ of vision.
Descartes really once considered the pineal gland to be the concentration of the soul in the human body, but at present the only confirmed function of this organ is the production of melatonin, a regulator of circadian rhythms.
Adherents of "spiritual practices" convince their followers that the pineal gland is an "antenna" that connects a person with a higher mind. There are touching stories about bone thinning at the site of the "third eye manifestation" after long meditations.
A self-respecting guru will definitely tell you about the "brain sand", which supposedly is the "conductor" of electromagnetic waves. Researchers, however, laugh at this contagiously. About cute bones - an absolute fantasy, and the mysterious "sand" is just a known process of calcification of the gland, which is often bad - large calcification is associated with Alzheimer's.
A variety of teachers also convince that intuition is best manifested in those who practice abstinence, for only virgins are the true helpers of the oracle. And this hypothesis does not differ in originality. The general opinion of experts is that intuition is explained by the work of the brain and does not require an antenna and special mystical functions of the pineal glands and other things. Neither sexual abstinence nor attempts to become a virgin will help develop her. Although, perhaps, people who think so should practice abstinence and self-withdraw from the genetic pool of humanity.
People without feeling
In fact, there are those who are completely unaware of such a phenomenon as intuition. As a rule, these are people with a high level of anxiety or those who tend to rationalize everything. Although, in fact, these two types are very similar to each other.
In patients with neurotic disorders, there is a decrease in intuitive abilities in all parameters (temporal, spatial, personal-situational), they do not trust and do not “feel”, they try to foresee and take into account everything, thus everything that their experience could tell them, blocked by doubts.
If we consider the lack of intuition from the point of view of "intellectual theory", then it is quite natural. A person who is in constant stress is unable to recognize either his own or someone else's feelings. He sees everything separately, in details, and cannot grasp the whole.
Precursor effect
Knowing the mechanisms of the formation of intuition, you can successfully apply the methods of its development. One of these approaches is called "priming". This is one curious effect that experts call the “precedence effect”. The word priming comes from English to prime - "to prepare, instruct in advance." Once confronted with a phenomenon, we capture it, often unconsciously. And having met with him "again" - we will find out.
The more we get information about a particular phenomenon, event, the more chances that we will intuitively make the right decision in a similar situation. However, there is also a catch. So, impressed by any criminal history, we can incorrectly assess just a similar situation and react aggressively.
A person who is in constant stress is unable to recognize either his own or someone else's feelings.
Priming is compared to an autopilot, which makes a lot of decisions without our participation, leaving more important tasks to the mind. It excludes human intentions and controls our perception through unconscious impressions. It is priming that makes it possible to make quick decisions, and since we don’t know where the “drovishki” come from, we often call it our sixth sense.
Thus, it is safe to say that intuition exists and actively participates in all spheres of a person's life. It is quite possible to apply it if you strive for self-development, understanding yourself, and in some way abandon stereotypes. And then, perhaps, the words of Kant will turn out to be true: "Intuition never fails the one who is ready for anything."