I see a flash of colour – green – that catches my eye. Then, my thinking mind kicks in and puts a label on what I’m seeing. I like the colour green. It’s a green leaf. This is an example of perception (the flash), followed by intuition (liking), followed by conception (naming).

Today, I’ll explore the difference between perception and intuition, inspired by the fascinating book, Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman. It shows the marvels and flaws of our intuition.

Perception

In the book, The Practice of Contemplative Photography, the authors describe a flash of perceptual awareness as “sudden, occurring out of the blue, sometimes shocking and disorienting; clear, detailed, rich, still, buoyant.”  Perception is often confused with conceptual thought or even intuition (another form of thought). It is different from both because it is not thought at all.

Perception comes before intuition. It is conscious awareness – pre-thought. It is the space between our thoughts and arises from our senses.

Perception is the foundation of contemplative photography and I’ve written about it often on this blog – From Perception to Thought, Perception and the Brain, and More on the Flash. With contemplative photography, we photograph the perception. In the example above, I photographed my initial perception – the flash of green through an opening.

We all have perceptual awareness, but for most of us it lasts for only a fraction of a second. Our minds quickly take over to label the experience. We can learn to stretch out that space and stay longer with our perceptual experience. Staying with our perceptions is one of the ways we listen to our inner teacher.

“So many of the rules that apply to perception apply as well to intuitive thinking. Yet, intuitive thinking is quite different from perception. Intuitive thinking has language. Intuitive thinking has a lot of word knowledge organized in different ways more than mere perception.” ~ Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow

Intuition

Intuition is a type of thinking that is usually contrasted with reason or conceptual thinking. Kahneman refers to these two modes of thinking as System 1 (intuition or thinking with our body) and System 2 (reason or thinking with our mind).

Many of us value one system over the other. Culturally, reason trumps intuition. Yet, the two work best when they go hand in hand, complementing each other. Some of us are not very in touch with our intuition, the knowledge in our bodies. We’re in our heads so much that we miss the sensory experiences in the moment.

Intuition is simply the story we create when we recognize patterns. It is similar to perception in that it’s automatic, effortless, and quick. It’s often sub-conscious.

“Intuitive thinking is perception-like, rapid, effortless. … deliberate thinking is reasoning-like, critical, and analytic; it is also slow, effortful, controlled, and rule-governed.” ~ The Trouble with Intuition, Daniel J. Simons and Christopher F. Chabris

Most of us think that our reasoning mind rules the show. Yet, Kahneman’s studies turn that idea on its head. He and his research partners have learned that intuition is the source of most of the judgments and choices we make. We use it to help us think more effectively. It gives our minds a rest. For example, we see an object on a desk and intuitively know that it is a lamp without having to think about it. The name is stored in our memory bank.

“We have intuitive feelings and opinions about almost everything that comes our way.” ~ Daniel Kahneman

We use intuition to create stories when we recognize patterns from our experiences. For example, we often form judgments about people from first impressions based on one interaction or a facial expression. This comes from experiences we’ve had in the past, whether conscious or not. Although our intuition may be right, there is also the chance that we are wrong. Perhaps the person is just having a bad day. On a different day, you might have a completely different experience of that person.

The stories we create are always based on limited information and may or may not be true. We jump to conclusions based on flimsy evidence. Kahneman says that this is worth it if the conclusions are likely to be correct and the cost of being mistaken small. But, it is much more risky if the stakes are high, for example, if we were to lose a relationship.

Intuition is often based on feelings of liking or disliking, or interest, rather than evidence. We build our stories and then strongly believe them. A sign of maturity is when we realize that our stories are not reality; that our feelings are often distorted.

Kahneman’s advice: Don’t simply trust intuitive judgment – your own or that of others – but don’t dismiss it either. 

This system is the origin of much that we do wrong, but it’s also the origin of much that we do right. How can we avoid intuitive errors? Recognize that our intuitive judgments may not be right, slow down, and question them. Call in reason for more evidence.

Contemplative photography helps us to practice, by slowing down, paying closer attention, and seeing what’s really happening. We can make a point to notice our perceptions and our judgments. Then we can ask ourselves, what are we missing?

** Books mentioned have Amazon affiliate links, meaning I make a few cents if you purchase through my link. I only recommend books that I’ve read.

Resources

How our Minds Mislead Us via Brain Pickings

10 Things Highly Intuitive People do Differently via Huffington Post

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman