When we understand the science of intuition and how \n“hunches” can pay off, we can more easily determine when it’s best to go\nwith our gut and when it’s best to rely on data.

We’re wired to see patterns

The human mind is wired to see patterns.\nNot only does the brain process information as it comes in, it also \nstores insights from all your past experiences. Your intuition has been \ndeveloping and expanding for as long as you’ve been alive. Every \ninteraction, happy or sad, is cataloged in your memory. Intuition draws \nfrom that deep memory well to inform your decisions going forward.

In other words, intuitive decisions are based on data, in a way.

When we subconsciously spot patterns, the body starts firing

neurochemicals in both the brain and gut. These “somatic markers”\nare what give us that instant sense that something is right … or that \nit’s off. Not only are these automatic processes faster than rational \nthought, but your intuition draws from decades of diverse qualitative \nexperience (sights, sounds, interactions, etc.) – a wholly human feature\nthat big data alone could never accomplish. It’s also faster than rational thought,

Many researchers, including machine learning experts and data scientists,

are embracing the role hunches play in breakthrough thinking.

Intuition is now considered simply another kind of data—one that’s no less valuable

than traditional analytics. After all, algorithms are created by people

and therefore subject to human error. And as innovation expert Bernadette Jiwa

points out, you can’t make a decision without emotion. Nor is the data

always an accurate indicator of behavior, as the most recent US

presidential election showed. “The data said one thing, and actually the

[real] story is right under our noses, and we’re ignoring it,”

Jiwa said in an interview with Heleo.

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Big Brother