The Magic of Gut Instincts

We cannot reduce the human experience to a series of mathematical calculations or algorithms. Scientists and mathematicians have been working endlessly to explain our existence with theories, and maybe they’ll be successful one day. Even then, they will have only explained the beginning, and as each day passes, the number of inquiries expands infinitely. 

Our desire to understand is a humanity-defining trait. We’re not content merely existing; we’re determined to know how and why we exist. We constantly wonder what the purpose of life is and try to define human consciousness. This curiosity propelled reason and rationality to become a more significant part of our existence, crowding out intuition in this age of information. 

Today, data is king. We’re taught to optimize our lives with data, and by doing so, we can make better decisions and enjoy better outcomes. We implement these data-fueled decisions in much of our lives.

As I write this, I’m wearing a fitness tracking watch that feeds me data like heart rate variability, steps taken, calories burned, etc. I also track my sleep each night, waking up with a sleep optimization score — even my rest is judged by computers now. We don’t fully understand sleep, yet we’ve trained computers to score the quality of sleep based on our movements, sounds, and heart rate. 

And as a wealth manager, I’m inundated with metrics of all types — ratios, scores, financial results, and more. This data is helpful, no doubt, but interestingly, growing data collections only generate more questions and support for more varied conclusions. If data were so decisive, we’d agree on which investments to make and when.

Of course, all of this data is pointless if it doesn’t inform decisions or influence behavior. I use the information from my watch to determine if I need to scale back my workouts and get some extra rest to avoid exhaustion. I use my sleep data to decide if I’m coming down with a sickness and adjust my diet and activity. And I use financial metrics to construct portfolios for my clients. Data is helpful. 

It’s dangerous to allow rationality to eliminate our intuition. The Information Age suffocates our gut feelings. Our decision-making process is out of balance. Data has, in many ways, become the master and the mind the servant. Every decision we make is expected to be supported by data, leaving a void in the miracle of the human mind.

The power of the human mind created technologies that are now depleting the role of that very mind. Perhaps we have data, but are we wiser? Are we healthier? Are we living more fulfilling lives? Or are we optimizing our lives to make fewer mistakes at the expense of living?

Think about innovation. New ideas are difficult to support with data because they are fresh, new creations, and data, by its nature, is backward-looking. Many people have mocked innovators, supporting their ridicule with numbers, probabilities, and the like. Of course, many great innovators fail, some repeatedly, before the combination of sheer genius and ripe timing creates world-changing inventions. 

If it’s true that data is eating away at intuition, intuition stands to become more and more valuable as it becomes less common. Many of the most rewarding decisions are based on a “gut feeling” or intuition. Data can deduce these decisions as irrational. Yet these are the same decisions that lead to the most fulfilling experiences, the most loving relationships, and the most financially rewarding endeavors.

Suppose fewer people rely on the wisdom they’ve acquired through interactions with others, education, and experience. In that case, there will be an abundance of opportunities for those who can channel their intuition and apply it appropriately.

The key is to balance cognition and feeling. It’s a complex relationship to manage, and it’s constantly changing. There is a greater need to rely on thinking and measuring during the early stages. Experience builds the foundation for a smart gut that quickly and accurately can identify danger and opportunity.

Consider the act of driving. When you first learn to drive, it requires total concentration. You must actively instruct the hand to move the control in a specific direction to activate the left turn signal. As you approach a stopped car in front of you, your mind busily calculates the pressure on the brakes to stop smoothly without causing an accident. But as you gain experience, not only do you instinctually perform these basic tasks, you’re able to quickly react to spontaneous events like another car veering into your lane. 

The shift from calculating to instinctual occurs in many areas of our lives, but data maximalists make decisions solely on explainable and supportable reasoning. This level of data worship puts concepts like tradition and wisdom in harm's way. If we can’t explain it, it’s not valid. And what a shame that is because many of life’s greatest joys defy our current understanding of math and science. 

Confucius said of cultivating intuition:

“In the early stages of training, an aspiring Confucian gentleman needs to memorize entire shelves of archaic texts, learn the precise angle at which to bow, and learn the lengths of the steps with which he is to enter a room.

His sitting mat must always be perfectly straight.

All of this rigor and restraint, however, is ultimately aimed at producing a cultivated, but nonetheless genuine, form of spontaneity.”

I take Confucius’ ancient wisdom to mean that we should intentionally expand our knowledge and experience so that we’re eventually capable of acting swiftly, without the need for endless inquisition. Data can be useful, particularly as we explore foreign areas. We should use it to our benefit as we build the cognitive and emotional foundation required to utilize intuitiveness fully. 

We are most vulnerable when we are first learning, and the absence of experience forces us to seek outside information to assist us in making difficult and impactful decisions. However, we mustn’t allow our intuition to be strangled. Those who can channel their accumulated knowledge in a crowd of others waiting for data confirmation will be able to generate uniquely rewarding outcomes.