Intuition, known as having a gut feeling about something or possessing a sense of Extrasensory Perception about an event or situation, is an interesting phenomena. Hard to test scientifically based on its intangible nature, the power of intuition has been supported by many individuals, especially in hindsight. Most of us have heard people say that they should have listened to their gut when taking a job or that they had a bad vibe about a person the first time that they met that individual. Both of those statements demonstrate individuals who had summoned their intuition at some point during the decision making process. According to Levoy, intuition has “receptors that seem able to hook all manner of passing emotions, like a bus that rolls through downtown picking up passengers. The passengers aren’t the bus, however, they’re merely hitching a ride” 1(p. 49).

How can intuition help people to solve problems? One’s intuition is often activated in intimate relationships, especially regarding infidelity. According to the article, “10 Signs of Cheating Spouse-Intuition,” approximately 85% of females who think that their partners or spouses are being faithful are accurate about their infidelity accusations 2. People do not always know why they feel something, whether it is something good or bad. Intuition often relies on unconscious processes, as one’s subconscious mind works to process and interpret information, evident in the following: “The human mind is very good at detecting differences in routines and actions that go on around you. So when your brain tells you that there’s something wrong then this probably means that something is different. Something has changed from the way it used to be and it could be the warning signs of an extramarital affair” 2(paragraph 3).

If a partner is cheating on an individual, the person getting cheated on usually wants to know before getting married or getting involved in a more permanent arrangement such as living together. Intuition can save somebody from a potentially ugly, messy divorce, contracting transmitting a sexually transmitted disease, or being abused. Some signs of cheating are often detected through one’s intuition. These intuitive signs include feeling that something is off or different about one’s partner, such as the person acting withdrawn, distant, or starting more arguments. If a person starts coming home late from work more, has a different scent, or is not saying “I love you” as often, that could be a sign of cheating. Perhaps, there are other occurrences that are signaling one’s internal warning bells. For example, phone calls coming in from an unrecognizable number, frequent hang ups when the phone is answered, and a partner guarding a cell phone more can signal one’s intuition that something is not right.

Intuitive clues can also serve as the springboard for people to check for more factual proof that can once and for all solve a person’s problem. If a woman who is contemplating breaking up with somebody gets more frequent gut feelings that a person is not the right one for her, that intuition can prompt her to visit the partner while the partner is on a lunch break. When the woman is stopped at a red light and sees her partner kissing another man outside of a restaurant, the woman decides to end the relationship, the problem of whether or not to end things now solved.

Besides helping individuals to solve present day problems, intuition can prevent future serious problems from happening if one relies on intuition. Keeping a person out of danger and safe is one positive outcome of listening to one’s intuitive feelings. If a woman meets a man at a party one night and gets a bad vibe about that man, this is probably her intuition trying to clue her in to future danger and potential problems. While the woman may not know why she is feeling this negative vibe, she decides to listen to it, and does not give her phone number to the guy when he asks for it later that night. A year later, the woman is reading her local newspaper and notices the headline that a man was recently arrested for killing 10 women. When she looks closer at the picture of the suspect, a chill goes through her, as she recognizes him as the man who asked for her number at that party a year ago. How many problems did her intuition save her from last year? More importantly, did the woman’s intuition save her life?

Relying on intuition can also help somebody resolve a problem that most individuals deal with at some time in their lives: deciding on what job to choose. Many times, it is a person’s intuition that helps one to decide to take or not take a job. For example, a woman gets two job offers. One position seems like the perfect job: a 6 figure income, great health benefits, week-ends off, a company car, and a 401 K plan. The other position pays less and offers no company car with more erratic hours. Her friends tell her it is a no-brainer and encourage her to take the first job. Yet, the woman keeps getting a feeling in her gut to take the second job, which she follows. She ends up loving that job. Eight months later, the company that she decided not to work for files for bankruptcy and eventually goes out of business. Listening to her intuition served her well, the woman able to keep a job that she enjoyed. If she had taken the first job, the woman would have been ended up being unemployed again. In this case, intuition saves the woman from the future problem of facing financial difficulties.

Intuition, the process of listening to one’s inner voice or following one’s gut feeling when making decisions, can be used to solve problems. These problems can apply to existing problems or problems that one would have encountered in the future if one’s intuition was not followed. While intuition is hard to measure scientifically, relying on some unconscious processes that individuals are not always aware of, it can be a useful tool for people. From choosing a job, deciding to date somebody, or contemplating a break-up, intuition can serve as the key to making the right decision. In the most extreme cases, such as crime and murder, intuition can even save lives.