That 'Gut Feeling'

ThailandTom

We all know what that gut feeling is, maybe it can be about a person or may know or have recently met, it may be about a certain place or something along those lines. I was thinking about this 'gut feeling' and exactly what it is.

When me and my GF meet someone for the first time I make assumptions like we all do on first impressions, 9/10 I am correct with their personality and my GF has liked certain people thinking they are trust worthy etc, but I somehow have been able to see something within them. Maybe it is a hightened sense of awareness or something, I don't know. But I think the gut feeling is the raw subconsciousness gathering the stimuli that is presented infront of you at that moment in time. What do you guys think?

federica

Your gut contains cells within it that behave exactly like the cells of your brain.
It's your conscious logic trying to attract your attention.
Because we tend to over-think stuff in our brains, it hits us where our instinct lies.

hence, 'gut feeling'.

ThailandTom

@federica yes I am prone to being gullible but is that actually a scientific documented finding? Interesting, well I have come to rely on my gut feeling a lot and have seemed to gain more sight of how it operates, or at least operates for me.

PrairieGhost

How often do you think your gut feeling actually causes people to act such a way as to confirm your feelings about them?

ThailandTom

My gut feeling causing other people to act in a certain way? The actual feeling doesn't make them do anything, but for example we met a woman who was a friend of my partner's and instantly before talking with her I could see a kind of evil, that is the only way I can describe it in her smile and expression. She spoke okay and I do not treat people in a certain way due to this gut feeling most of the time, I give everyone a couple of chances of course. But it turned out this woman was unreliable, lied, caused problems between people and stole money from the company they worked at.

andyrobyn

The nervous system's second biggest network of neurones, after the brain, is located in the gut -ie. stomach and intestines, so I guess there is some anatomical reality.
I think the phrase is related to the fact that subsequently many people are aware of and experience emotions and intuitive feelings as being centred on, or having a strong effect on, the stomach area.
In Australia a gut feeling is generally refering to something you sense about a situation, without knowing why.

PrairieGhost

ThailandTom:

I could see a kind of evil, that is the only way I can describe it

I used to see evil in people, but now I see causes and conditions. The reason I saw evil before was that I was too scared to see causes and conditions. Learning to do so can be very painful, because to do so we have to see our own, and in doing so, we lose the glamour of what we perceived to be our self.

So I'd agree about the gut feeling sometimes being accurate, but remember that it's incomplete knowledge. I have had gut feelings of evil from perfectly nice people, and realised later that they weren't evil at all, they just threatened my sense of self.

Controversial books can have the same effect - a book that is called evil may just be a book people aren't ready for. The idea of evil is used to avoid engaging with issues.

ThailandTom

Thank you @PrairieGhost that really helped to make me look at the topic from a different perspective.

PrairieGhost

Cool

lamaramadingdong

Check out "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell for a great read concerning human gut reactions- how good we are at it and how it can lead us astray.

ThailandTom

Thatnks for the connect lamaramadingdong

OneLifeForm

PrairieGhost said:

ThailandTom:

I could see a kind of evil, that is the only way I can describe it

I used to see evil in people, but now I see causes and conditions. The reason I saw evil before was that I was too scared to see causes and conditions. Learning to do so can be very painful, because to do so we have to see our own, and in doing so, we lose the glamour of what we perceived to be our self.

So I'd agree about the gut feeling sometimes being accurate, but remember that it's incomplete knowledge. I have had gut feelings of evil from perfectly nice people, and realised later that they weren't evil at all, they just threatened my sense of self.

Controversial books can have the same effect - a book that is called evil may just be a book people aren't ready for. The idea of evil is used to avoid engaging with issues.

This post is evil.

ThailandTom

you are the most evil person to walk this earth, well you were a moment ago, and then another moment ago :buck:

PrairieGhost

OneLifeForm:

This post is evil.

You are welcome to print it out and burn it.

ThailandTom

haha what has this turned into!? :crazy:

jessie70

I am still sort of fascinated about gut-feelings. I agree with @PrarieGhost for the most part, but there are times in which intuition and whatever it is- 6th sense? is useful - as @frederica points out. The gut feelings that make people fear others are probably threatened ego, but those gut feelings about craps and roulette are not to be ignored.... and Yes! I'm Evil!

ThailandTom

There have been many times in poker or other various situations where I have said to myself 'why did I not go with my gut feeling' I let my intellect get in the way, so I think sometimes it is something not to be ignored, but then again there are times when you need to give people or situations a chance to evolve and just let them play out.