Improving the Accuracy of Your iNtuition

I came across a question on Quora.com today that I thought was worth sharing:

What can an INFJ do to strengthen the accuracy of their intuition if they are frequently wrong?

My answer is independent of type. Some types will rely on intuition more often than others, but the process of improving it is basically the same for all types.

Intuition works by recognizing patterns. Despite what we might want to believe, it’s not magic.

Ultimately, the results of your intuition depend on the quality of input you give it. If you have a very good process for vetting information that you accept to be true, then your intuition will very good. If you do not have a good process, then you’ll have intuitions that feel accurate, but are not.

Let’s use a visual example. When you look at the following image, what do you see?

Looking at the dots you can infer that what you’re looking at is probably a star.

Now, imagine that you’re trying to figure out the same pattern, but a couple of the dots are in the wrong place:

Judging by the image above, you’d have a hard time realizing you were looking at a star. Intuition works the same way. If you take in accurate input then your intuition will be more likely to help you identify the right pattern. So critical thinking, proper research and an understanding of bias are the key components to honing your intuition. Be very careful about what you accept as true and your intuition will serve you well.

For further reading, I recommend checking out the work of Buster Benson: https://busterbenson.com/piles/cognitive-biases/