Ever had a hunch? Gone with a gut instinct? Felt something in your bones?
People have long believed in intuition: the idea that we can make successful decisions without rational, analytical thought or inference.
Can puppies help your decision-making?
New research from UNSW reveals how decision-making can be improved with a small bit of help from man's best friend.
Now it turns out there is such a thing as human intuition - and it can be tested scientifically.
"There's lots of really cool stories about it, but no one's been able to show that it really exists and how it works," said Associate Professor Joel Pearson, who led new research into intuition at the University of NSW's School of Psychology.
![Joel Pearson with equipment used in the University of NSW research.](/web/20160421061545im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/8/9/m/k/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.go7ii8.png/1460984903226.jpg)
"This is really the first measure we have to reliably and scientifically probe the brain mechanisms of intuition. It's the first to show that it actually does exist."
Previous studies have focused on asking individuals about their perception or feeling of intuition.
But the UNSW team of Associate Professor Pearson, Galang Lufityanto and Chris Donkin developed a new technique, presenting subjects with subliminal emotional information while they made conscious decisions.
The researchers looked for evidence of rapid, unconscious, emotionally based processes that might correspond with the popular notion of intuition.
![Research shows subliminal exposure to emotional images can help decision-making.](/web/20160421061545im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/7/l/b/5/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.go7ii8.png/1460984903226.jpg)
They conducted experiments with more than 100 students, who were asked to report whether a snowstorm of dots on a computer screen was moving left or right.
At the same time, and without their knowledge, the students were presented with emotional images that had been rendered invisible through continuous flash suppression.
![Illustation: Cathy Wilcox](/web/20160421061545im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/9/g/6/z/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.go7ii8.png/1461122251050.jpg)
Some images were positive, like puppies and flowers; others were negative, such as a snake or shark attacking.
The subjects were completely unaware that their brains were processing this emotional information. But registering the combination of positive and negative images boosted their decision accuracy, making them faster and more confident in determining the direction of the moving dots.
"Subjects were using unconscious emotional information as evidence to help them make a decision," Associate Professor Pearson said.
While it was widely accepted that people act intuitively or make intuitive decisions, "no one's been able to show that unconscious, rapid emotions can actually affect our decisions. This is the first time [it's been done], which I think is the most exciting part."
The study has been published in the peer-reviewed journal Psychological Science. Associate Professor Pearson said the findings would "open up a whole new field of research" and could be significant for fields including sport and human resources management.
"Another interesting finding in this study is that intuition improved over time, suggesting that the mechanisms of intuition can be improved with practice," he said.
"[It could be used] to train people to rely more on the emotional information in their brain and their body, rather than just logical, conscious information."
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