Everyone has had the experience of immediately knowing a solution or an answer without being aware of exactly how or why we know it. Though intuition is not always accurate, studies have indicated that by using both gut feelings and analytical thinking at the same time, your decisions are quicker, better, and more accurate than they would be if you left your intuition out of it.

Surveys of top executives have proven that when most of these leaders are faced with crises, they base their decisions on a blend of both emotional cues and past experiences. Even the U.S. Navy teaches Marines and sailors to listen to their guts since instinct tends to outperform intellect in combat and other high-stakes situations.

Contrary to popular belief, intuition is actually a function of the nervous system. Your digestive tract contains 100 million neurons, which comprise an enormous neural network. That’s why scientists refer to the digestive system as the “second brain.” The gut contains more neurons than the spinal cord, which shows just how powerful its processing abilities really are. We all know the feeling of evaluating a decision with a pit in our stomach. That’s one of the ways that the gut makes its feelings known.

Those who identify as highly sensitive experience gut feelings more strongly than most people, but they’re often encouraged to disregard what their gut tells them. High sensitivity allows you........

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