7 Signs You Have Good Intuition
Have you ever known what someone was going to say before they said it? Or realized what was going to happen before it did? These two examples are just a few of the ways we use our intuition in everyday life. Intuition is defined as a feeling or idea that’s based more on abstract thoughts and possibilities than concrete reality, and it’s been a widely studied psychological concept ever since the field’s philosophical roots.
Intuition is important because it what helps us relate to the world and those around us. Everyone is intuitive, but not everyone has the ability to use or understand their intuition to its full potential. In fact, there are only relatively few gifted with such strong intuition (Epstein, 2010).
If you’re wondering whether or not you’re one of them, here are 7 signs that can help you figure out whether or not you have good intuition:
1. You’re Quick to Pick Up on Emotions
Being emotionally self-aware plays a crucial role in understanding your intuition, as it may often manifest as a gut feeling or a hunch. When you are emotionally in tune to yourself and others, it will be easier for you to decipher what these feelings are trying to tell you. This will make you more empathetic and sensitive. You will easily be able to read a room and pick up on non-verbal cues that will tell you what someone else is feeling – be it their facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, and so on (Guerrero, DeVito, & Hecht, 1999).
It’s very difficult to deceive an intuitive, because their heightened sense of awareness makes them better able to see through other people’s social facades. Intuitive individuals can sense when someone has a “negative aura” about them, so they won’t be fooled when someone everybody seems to like actually turns out to be fake. They are good judge of characters because they can see past a person’s pretenses, so their first impressions of people tend to be accurate. Some would say that they’re reading too much into the little things, but really, their intuition enables them to perceive things most people can’t.
3. You Have Sudden Realizations
If thoughts come into your mind from out of the blue, this is a sign of good intuition. These thoughts may come in the form of visions, sounds, sensations, or ideas, but they lead to epiphanies that allow you to see things more clearly. You may randomly remember something you didn’t notice a while ago, find an answer or solution you hadn’t thought of before, or come up with the perfect reply to a conversation you just had; all of these examples signify that you are thinking and perceiving information at a deeper level than most people, which brings us to our next point.
4. You’re a Deep Thinker
Most intuitive individuals are also deep, analytical thinkers (Chaffey, Unsworth,& Fossey, 2012). They never take things at face value because they believe that life is full of meaning, connections, and symbolism. They pay attention to whatever signs the Universe gives them, be it a coincidence, chance encounter, or a fortuitous event. This is why those with good intuitive instincts can often know things without necessarily knowing how they know it, if they think about it long enough. Your mind is capable of figuring out all the subtleties and nuances in a conversation or an interaction, and finding patterns in your life. If your intuition is strong, oftentimes the things you think about tend to come true.
5. You’re Interested in Mysticism and Occult
A lot of people believe that intuition is an otherworldly gift (Klein, 2004), which is perhaps why a lot of intuitive individuals are so attracted to mystical and occult traditions, as well as myths and folklore. They believe in the power of the Universe and believe that intuition is a way for the Universe to speak through them. They find themselves drawn to matters of divination (like astrology, Tarot, numerology, and so on) because they want to learn more about the workings of their intuition.
6. You Have Vivid Dreams
Dreams interpretation is a very interesting field of depth psychology (the study of the unconscious), and intuitive individuals tend to be particularly gifted at it. This is perhaps because intuition bridges the divide between the conscious and unconscious mind. Unlike most people, who forget their dreams as soon as they wake up, intuitive individuals have vivid, meaningful dreams that they can easily recall and understand. In fact, some of them may even come true, as it’s common for intuitive types to experience déjà vu when a real life situation plays out similar to a dream that they once had (Piha, 2005).
7. You Have a Strong Inner Voice
Finally, one of the best and easiest way for the intuitively gifted to set themselves apart from others is the presence of a rich inner world. If you have good intuition, you usually make decisions by listening to your heart and going with what feels right for you, even when you can’t explain it. Intuitive types trust themselves to know what is right for them without thinking too hard about it, because their insight guides them in ways they don’t fully understand yet.
With that said, it’s easy to see why intuition is a powerful tool for those who know how to unlock it and use it well. It’s a special gift blessed to a rare few and often misunderstood by most. Sometimes we may be quick to dismiss things we seemingly know because we don’t quite understand why we think so or where these ideas came from, but this is your first clue that you possess good intuition and just don’t know it yet.
References:
- Epstein, S. (2010). Demystifying intuition: What it is, what it does, and how it does it. Psychological Inquiry, 21(4), 295-312.
- Guerrero, L. K., DeVito, J. A., & Hecht, M. L. (Eds.). (1999). The nonverbal communication reader. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
- Chaffey, L., Unsworth, C. A., & Fossey, E. (2012). Relationship between intuition and emotional intelligence in occupational therapists in mental health practice. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 66(1), 88-96.
- Klein, G. A. (2004). The power of intuition: How to use your gut feelings to make better decisions at work. Crown Business.
- Piha, H. (2005). Intuition: A bridge to the coenesthetic world of experience. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 53(1), 23-49.
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