35 Times People’s Intuition Spotted Something Was Wrong And They’re Glad It Did

Imagine you're in an unfamiliar dingy cafe or on a dark narrow road and in a fraction of a second, your body and mind send you a warning sign that something bad is going to happen. Would you listen to them?

According to University of New South Wales neuroscientist and psychologist Joel Pearson, a lot goes into that sixth sense. "[Your brain is] processing all the things in the environment; the time of day, how well it's lit, how well it's not lit, the pace the person's walking, for example, the shadows, the tone, and a hundred other [details]," he explains.

Call it intuition – a nebulous concept that Pearson has been studying for two and a half decades. As the author of a book called The Intuition Toolkit, he's settled on a definition that says, "It's the learned, positive use of unconscious information for better decisions or actions."

But it's a slippery term; not everyone can put their finger on it. So let's look at a Reddit thread that has plenty of stories to illustrate what Pearson is talking about. Started by platform user TheRealGreedyGoat, it invited people to share the scariest "trust your gut" feeling that they've had. Here are the most upvoted ones.

#1

Image credits: qweenbimbo_

We managed to get in touch with the person who started this discussion and they were kind enough to have a chat with us about it.

"I love asking Reddit users to share their life stories," TheRealGreedyGoat told Bored Panda.

"This allows me to learn more about people. Since I also have no problem reading all the comments, I find it incredibly interesting to engage with diverse perspectives and experiences."

#2

Image credits: agnesdewitt-pianist

#3

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After going through the replies they've received, TheRealGreedyGoat noticed a few common themes. Mainly, encounters with strangers or navigating unfamiliar environments.

"When you feel something is wrong about someone or 'creepy' there's probably a fair reason to listen to it. I’ve read comments saying they had this feeling and ignored it and wished they didn't."

#4

Image credits: PHWasAnInsideJob

#5

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Many do. 70 percent of adults in the UK, for example, always listen to their instincts, with 35 percent physically getting a "gut feeling" about situations, a recent poll of 2,000 Brits has revealed.

Nearly one in five rely on their intuition to tell them if something’s wrong regarding their health and two in five follow this "gut-guru" to guide them when it comes to trusting their partner.

#6

#7

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TheRealGreedyGoat belongs to the majority; the Redditor also believes intuition can be a reliable guide. "I had this experience too. I was in a forest and the scenery was beautiful. I looked at an area near a cliff I wanted to look out at and got this weird feeling I shouldn't stand there. I reasoned with myself that there were probably ticks. My friend and I talked for a while and then I heard a giant crash. I turned to the spot I was just about to stay at and there was a giant log there. It would have crushed me! And we wouldn't have been able to get help because we were a bit lost."

#8

Image credits: zondervoze

#9

Image credits: Weeyin999

Psychologist Joel Pearson highlighted that the information we are conscious of receiving – the sound of a colleague on the telephone, the smell of coffee when we walk past a cafe, the feeling of hot sun on our skin – is but the tip of an iceberg.

"The brain is really good at restricting the spotlight, so it can make all the resources focused on one narrow thing, like a spotlight on the stage,” he said. But all of that sensory information – the bottom part of the iceberg – is still being processed. And for that, we should be very grateful.