Trusting your gut
- Philip Brophy
- Mar 26
- 3 min read
Making an intuitive call • 3 min read
Research from the Association for Psychological Science shows that pairing gut feelings with analytical thinking helps you make faster and more accurate decisions, giving you more confidence in your choices than relying on intellect alone — particularly in situations of overthinking or when there is no clear-cut option.
Looking at the most high-stake of situations, e.g., the battlefield, the U.S. Navy has invested millions into training Marines to refine their sixth sense, precisely because intuition is proven to supersede intellect.
Introduction
Making decisions can be tricky. They can even cause us angst as we hum, haw, and dawdle over options. The worst outcome — we live to regret our choices.
This week, we’ll look at how by trusting our gut, we can choose wisely for more fulfilling outcomes in both life and the workplace.
A rock and a hard place
We can all relate to those moments when we’re faced with tough decisions and just don’t know what to do. The last thing we want to feel is a sense of regret — that “what if?” moment.
The pressure can make us act impulsively or resort to people-pleasing, perhaps relying too much on data to make an “informed” choice. Cause let’s face it — We live in a data-driven world. How can we not be biassed towards it?
However, although analytical thinking is invaluable, listening to your inner voice is more of a game changer than we might think — Sometimes, we just know when we know.
It’s for a very good reason that scientists call our stomachs our “second brain”.
Let’s look at the science behind trusting our gut.
The second brain
What connects our gut to our brain?
Well, the vagus nerve is one of the biggest nerves that connects our gut and brain, while neurotransmitters are chemical messengers produced both in the brain and by our gut cells — they essentially tell the body how to behave.
Neurotransmitters send signals in both directions and control feelings and emotions, e.g. the chemical serotonin contributes to feelings of happiness. Our gut microbes (aka microscopic organisms) also produce a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which helps control feelings of fear and anxiety.
In animal studies, it has been shown that stress inhibits the signals sent through the vagus nerve. This can cause a variety of issues, including gastrointestinal problems. Similarly, a study in humans found that people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) had reduced the function of the vagus nerve.
Key takeaways
Our gut feelings are learned experiences in disguise and listening to them can pay off, with research from Deloitte showing that when handling crises and making big decisions, many top executives surveyed admitted to drawing on feelings and experience.
When we intuitively approach our decisions, our brains work in tandem with our gut to rapidly assess all personal needs, memories, past learnings, and preferences — this helps to make the wisest decisions according to the given situation.
They don’t call it the second stomach for nothing - we have nerves and neurotransmitters that connect our gut to our brain. The relationship between these two organs can be critical for decision-making.
Think big. act small
Our guts and brain are inextricably linked — it’s a fact grounded in science.
Next time you’re faced with a tough decision, don’t forget to pay attention to your stomach. Your body could be giving you a powerful signal — so be sure to listen.
Content sources
Forbes, 2021, Sarah Jeanne Browne, '4 Ways Trusting Your Intuition Is A Superpower'
Forbes, 2018, Chip Wilson, 'Trusting Your Gut Is The Best Business Tool You've Got -- If You Can Listen'
Forbes, 2020, Carlos Melendez, 'Lead With Your Gut And Follow The Data: A Decision-Maker's Guide To Success'
Harvard Business Review, 2022, Melody Wilding, 'How to Stop Overthinking and Start Trusting Your Gut'
Healthline.com, 2020, Ruari Robertson, 'The Gut-Brain Connection: How it Works and The Role of Nutrition'
Psychology Today, 2015, Lybi Ma, '3 Reasons Why You Have to Trust Your Gut When and how to use your intuition'
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