Ow important is it to trust your instincts compared to trusting logic?

Question

How important is it to trust your instincts compared to trusting logic?

Trusting that 'gut' instinct which tells you to go left or to run.

Example. You've got a map with you, and it tells you to go left. But your gut is telling you to go right. Which path would you take?

Has trusting your instinct ever let you down?

Do you go for logic over instinct or instinct over logic?

How would you develop your intuition and gut instinct more?

Anslo, any experiences of trusting your instinct, which you can share?

Answer 1

well, to answer your example, the RIGHT thing would be to follow a map... because it's a map, and with maps, you don't get lost.

but, i think life skills, as in, if you want to guess lottery numbers, i would use gut feeling.

Answer 2

Judge with knowledge (logic)!

Instincts, impulses, feelings can let you down pretty reliably...

If you take your gut over a clear map, you're sure to get lost.

If you're talking about something like having inhibitions over something you don't know is good or bad...that I would trust it and wait till you know better.

Answer 3

Listen to your inner voice every time. It might be your guides screaming at you. Your instincts have more to do with self preservation than logic. Being a parent makes you more aware of your surroundings and hones instincts. Having a dog also makes you more aware of how powerful instincts are because they have such a strong sixth sense and you see it in action all the time. Talking less and listening more also helps develop better intuition/instincts. And meditation is perfect for quiet reflection which enables you to listen even more closely to that inner voice and sort through things.

Answer 4

I would say trust logic on situations that are easier to measure. If I'm looking at a map and it says go left to get to the store, then turning right because my gut tells me to won't do me any good.

Now I will trust my gut if I meet someone for the first time. My gut will tell me if this person is good or bad and it's usually right.

Answer 5

I would trust my instincts and go in that direction. Because maybe there's a reason to go in that direction that logic can not yet see.

Trusting instinct is very important and has always worked for me. Trusting logic is great in academic and certain fields. I trust logic in my work.

But in daily life and issues of social / political issues logic can take you only so far. Eventually you can't know what everyone is thinking and doing and what effect each action might have down the road. You could drive yourself crazy trying to predict all that.

Also logic can destroy things that are fun. Why go sit somewhere with someone have something to eat, when you have food home and can talk on the phone? There's no logical reason, really, but it is more enjoyable sometimes.

I have over-relied on logic in the past . . . it is not good. Trying to think of the exact right thing to say with all angles covered, etc, can make conversations difficult. (some of that is good, so you don't accidentally hurt someone's feelings, but there needs to be a limit) Trusting your gut and moving forward with the conversation

I think praying can help with developing intuition and gut instinct.

Answer 6

It all depends on whether you have objective evidence / choices before you or not.

For example, if the map says GO LEFT, and your gut says GO RIGHT, maybe the map is correct.

Stop and think for awhile.

If you are faced with a choice where there might be dire consequences if you make a bum choice, then be careful because instincts can be influenced by a great many things whereas logic is usually black and white.

Answer 7

hmm,

I am not good with maps,

guess i will stay at home!!

no really,

i will take what is written on the map!!

Answer 8

Instincts are just reactions they could turn out to cause something bad.

Answer 9

instincts have gotten me into trouble before

i rather take logic

Answer 10

Ask to bring evidence.

nothing is free in the world.

Answer 11

i always do what my "guts" tell me to do cuz my guts are me. its never et me down cuz when u really believe in urself things can happen. = )

Answer 12

Both, you have to trust both at the same time, if you only use one, you are skipping a lot of information.

1- If the map tells go left and your guts tells go right review the map and see if you are reading it good, in this way your instinct will tell you that you has reading bad the map, or your logic will tel you that you intern compass is magnetized, or maybe that you has using bad the landscape signals.

2. I don´t understand that phrasal verb, but I am used to trust on my instinct and is rare that, at least talking about maps, i fail. I can use my instinct also with the people, my father told that you can see the exaggerated for the way in that he takes the meal, and this works very well, don´t see the face of the people, don´t see the clothes, see they movements and they reactions in different situation.

3. I have to trust both, the instinct is based in the memory, that is the past and the logic is based in the environment, that is the thinks around, if you like trust on one of they, you have to mix them, let your instinct take the initiative, but the logic have to be near to supervise that everything fit.

4. If you like a instinct with maps then try to travel and find a place with a map made by a lazy class mate, or try to find your town with a satellite image, or try to find the correct map for go to St. Peter of the Aguaros. If you like instinct with people, see dilbert, catbert tells "Think  the worst about the people, and you will be right the most of the time". Ironically that don´t works very well in Mexico, but in some countries is  like a magic formule. And read a little about psychology, and politics.

5. Well, once I has really scared, I feel that I really has missing the control of the situation. In a trip to Canada i went out to ride bicycle with out knowing the city very well. A strange country, a strange people, but mainly a strange language that in that time I has incapable  of talk or understand. Suddenly i noticed that i has lost, I didn´t knew where I has and I has incapable of ask for directions. The worst part has that in the zone exist a lot of blocks of houses that look alike, then I has totally lost. But my instinct told me in what direction I has to go, not the exact ubication only the direction in that I should go, and finally I find, a place that I knew.

Answer 13

Neither are perfect. Therefore it's foolish to trust either one. Then again, it's foolish to trust nothing. I think this is what philosophy is.

When you're lost, your gut tells you something based on previous conditioning. Maybe you've seen similar streets and because the conditions match earlier conditions, you can assume the pattern will continue. This is an instinct within our genes that can't be avoided (similarly when your hand touches something very hot, the message doesn't even go to the brain at first- it goes to your spinal chord which directs your hand to move suddenly). Maybe your conditioning leads you to the right decision, or maybe it's a coincidence and you do go the wrong direction for not following the map as conditioning is unreliable. At other times the map may be wrong (I onec followed a map and accidentally ended up at the border of another country) or you may be misreading it- to you your misperception says the map is wrong but it's your conditioning that's wrong not map.