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Gut feelings appear in everyday life:
- When buying gadgets: You’re drawn to an expensive gadget that “feels right,” but later realize it doesn’t meet your actual needs.
- When ordering your food: You’re at a restaurant and feel a strong urge to order comfort food, even though you’re working toward healthier eating habits.
- When being at work: A coworker’s comment triggers a wave of anger. Your gut tells you to fire off an email to defend yourself immediately.
Gut feelings, often perceived as intuitive flashes of insight, can become especially pronounced when feeling anxious.
Anxiety heightens your bodily sensations—like a racing heart, tight chest, or stomach fluttering—leading your mind to misinterpretation of these signals as urgent calls to action. For example, before an important meeting, you might feel your chest tighten and assume it’s a warning that you’re unprepared or about to fail.
Research by Robinson et al. (2013) found that individuals with higher anxiety levels are more prone to misinterpreting neutral or benign physical sensations as signs of danger, often resulting in avoidant behaviors.
In social situations, anxiety can amplify gut feelings, creating a false sense of immediate threat. Imagine being invited to a gathering where you know only a few people; your gut might tell you to decline because the thought of small talk triggers nervousness.
These sensations, while real, aren’t always reliable indicators of what you should do next. Instead, these bodily sensations often reflect what researchers like Damasio (1994) call “somatic markers” – emotional signals tied to past experiences that influence your choices.
While somatic markers, along with gut feelings, can guide you, they’re not foolproof.
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The overrated power of gut feelings
The cultural narrative around trusting your gut has become pervasive, often portrayed as a hallmark of confidence, decisiveness, and authentic living. But, research shows that intuition isn’t always as reliable as it seems.
Here is what affective science says about gut feelings:
- A study conducted by Dane et al. (2012) indicated that despite conventional knowledge about the power of hunches, there is no relationship between individuals trusting their gut feelings and the accuracy of them when making a decision.
- Nordgren et al. (2014) highlighted the phenomenon of “introspection illusion,” where people believe their gut feelings are more accurate than they truly are. Their findings suggest that gut decisions, especially in ambiguous or high-pressure situations, often reflect biases and emotional noise rather than clear reasoning.
For every success story—a hunch that leads to a brilliant career move—there are countless moments where gut instincts lead to poor choices.
The science of gut feelings: When to trust your gut!
Intuition is not inherently bad; Dane et al. (2012) found that gut feelings are accurate only when paired with a strong foundation of domain-specific experience. Similarly, research conducted by Simon et al. (2013) demonstrated that while gut feelings can be helpful in rapid decision-making, their accuracy depends heavily on the individual’s expertise.
For example, an experienced paramedic may instinctively recognize life-threatening symptoms because they’ve encountered similar scenarios countless times. However, a novice paramedic in the same situation might misinterpret their gut instinct and overlook critical data.
Gut feelings can be a powerful ally when informed by experience. Outside of such conditions—expertise and context—gut feelings make you prone to cognitive biases and emotional reasoning.
A practical strategy for distinguishing your anxious gut feelings from values-based choices
Your body’s natural gut response to anxiety—whether it’s a tight chest, racing thoughts, or a churning stomach—often creates emotional noise. This noise demands immediate attention, pulls you toward quick fixes, and screams at you to do something right here, right now.
In contrast, emotional wisdom is quieter, softer, and subtle. It’s like a gentle whisper from the heart, un susurro del corazón. Emotional wisdom—the whispers from your heart—doesn’t shout or insist; instead, it offers a steady nudge toward what truly matters to you. This whisper guides you toward decisions that reflect your deeper values, even when those choices require sitting with discomfort or uncertainty.
For example, before a job interview, your body noise might scream, “You’re not ready! Cancel!” This tight chest and restless energy are likely your body’s way of preparing for a meaningful challenge, not proof that you should back out. Emotional wisdom, on the other hand, whispers, “Yes, this feels hard, but it’s important. You’ve prepared for this moment, and it’s worth showing up.”
1. Pause before acting on your gut feelings
Research by Stillman et al. (2017) highlights the value of “emotional distancing” in decision-making. Taking even a few moments to breathe and step back creates space for you to evaluate what’s driving your choices.
Reflective questions:
- Am I feeling pressured to act immediately, or can I give myself time to reflect?
- What might change if I waited a few minutes, hours, or even days before deciding?
- Does this choice feel reactive or does it reflect my values-based intentions?
- Is this decision based on what I truly need or is it driven by a temporary feeling?
- Am I seeking comfort, relief, or validation from this choice?
2. Label your feelings
Feldman Barrett (2017) found that naming your emotions—such as “I feel anxious” or “I feel uncertain”—helps clarify whether they are signals for action or emotional noise to observe.
Reflective questions:
- What specific emotion am I feeling right now and where do I notice it in my body?
- Is this emotion telling me something important or is it tied to a past fear or worry?
- How might this feeling shift if I simply acknowledge and name it?
3. Check for your expertise
Gut feelings are more reliable when grounded in experience. As Gigerenzer (2014) suggests, gut feelings work best in familiar situations where expertise has been developed over time.
Reflective questions:
- Have I encountered a situation like this before? What did I learn from it?
- Am I relying on my gut feeling because I feel confident or because I feel overwhelmed?
4. Align with your values
Baumeister et al. (2013) demonstrated that decisions driven by long-term values and goals, rather than immediate emotions, enhance well-being.
Reflective questions:
- Does this decision reflect the person I want to be?
- How will I feel about this choice tomorrow, next week, or a year from now?
- Does this action bring me closer to my values or move me further away?
Final Thoughts
Your gut feelings are an important part of your emotional landscape, but they’re not always a reliable compass for decision-making or values-based choices. The goal isn’t to silence your gut feelings, but to listen with discernment: are your gut feelings emotional noise or susurros del corazón—whispers from your heart?
Personal note
This article was inspired by a walk along the shores of Punta Mita, Mexico as I was reminded of the richness of growing up and living in Bolivia half of my life and the lyrical—almost singing—rhythm of every Spanish word.
More resources
Book to read: Escaping the Emotional Roller Coaster.
