The Intuition Toolkit: The New Science of Knowing What without Knowing Why

by Joel Pearson

Five easy rules for developing intuition, based on trailblazing research by a top Australian neuroscientist. Learn when it’s safe to rely on intuition in decision-making and when it’s not. Intuition has saved lives and averted disasters, and it also lies behind countless innovative decisions. Steve Jobs, for one, regularly relied on his intuition in making business decisions at Apple. Some people use intuition more readily than others but anyone can learn to develop and trust it. The key is ensuring that certain conditions are met so as to avoid the pitfalls. Neuroscientist Joel Pearson has identified five essential rules for using intuition, easily remembered by the acronym      Self-awareness (Feeling emotional? Don't trust your intuition)    Mastery (Learn before you why mastery matters for intuition)      Impulses and Addiction (These are not intuition)     Low Probability (Don’t use intuition for probabilistic judgments)     Environment (Use intuition only in familiar and predictable contexts) In explaining these rules, Joel takes anecdotes from real life, including mountain climber Jon Muir’s lifesaving decision; a gameshow that uses humans’ innate misunderstanding of probability to rig its prizes; why you should never go rock-climbing on a first date; and what happens when Usain Bolt races in low gravity. The Intuition Toolkit is scientifically solid, highly readable and utterly fascinating.

Genres: Psychology, Business, Nonfiction

Kindle Edition

Published January 31, 2024

Reviews

[Bathsheba · Rating 2 out of 5]

Grumpy Old Witch gets to write the first review *stroking pointy chin* and allowing her previously dumbfounded expression to relax into the task; she really wants to be fair, she really does…



So I saw the author, Joel, on the morning Breakfast Show and was initially thrilled to hear that this important topic was being given some prime air time. He came across as very enthusiastic, so I cut him some slack (considering the reality of live-to-air TV nerves) and… against my intuition… bought his offering as an instant ebook download.

I’m going to be perfectly honest and say that I’m only 3% in, however the sheer frequency of my objections to what he has to say has prompted my early review. I’ve never done this before, I’ve always waited until the end, or as close to the end as I can get. This time I’m honestly hoping for someone out there to calmly reply and say something like “Hey, give the guy a break… he’s doing his best to make a woo topic palatable… this book will be a great gift for millions of long suffering boyfriends and husbands out there who are sick to death of hearing their female (or feminine identifying) partners rave on about the importance of intuition. He has even used a manly word like “toolkit” in the title and opened the book with a riveting story about a manly jet fighter pilot doing manly things! The male identifying among us will love it… let this just get the ball rolling eh? C’moooon”. <—- I’m an Aussie witch 😉

Can you see my dilemma? I want to like this book. I will trudge on, but oh dear Goddess give me strength!

Firstly, several times, starting at the back of book blurb, Joel refers to his book as offering a “safe” way to use our intuition. Now that did give me pause. In all my 53 years I can’t say that my intuition has ever been used “unsafely”. Or has it? Who knows. Maybe I have. However as a scientist Joel ought to know that safety isn’t a subjective thing. You are, or you aren’t. You get hurt or you don’t.
NOT using my intuition has been unsafe, sure… but actually using it? Once again… let’s have some debate about this. Is the basic premise that if you receive an intuitive download then it’s going to be in your interests to follow its suggestion? It’s NOT intuition if it’s wrong after all. Does that go without saying?

Next point of contention is his definition of what intuition is: (his quote)

Intuition is the learnt, productive use of unconscious information to improve decisions or actions.

Now I’m no scientist, just a highly intuitive witch (with a professional day job that requires a sh*t ton of intuition) and a side gig astrology service… but this is bullocks. It is not “learnt”. I’m absolutely certain that I was born with it, as are most people, and that being a particularly stubborn child I refused to have it socially conditioned out of me! It should be practised, sure, but it is not Learned. It’s like suggesting you need to learn how to hear, how to use your ears. Sure, you can improve upon your listening skills but you are born being able to hear, well most of the time. Same with all of our currently acknowledged senses. They are not things we have to learn. If we don’t use them they will diminish… as many teenagers discover if they haven’t used their hands for a variety of tasks other than using a touch screen… their sense of touch will suffer in the art room when it comes to manipulating clay… but it’s still there. I won’t comment too much about how annoyed I was by the inclusion of the word “productive” other than to say that it is totally unnecessary. We don’t need to hear of more ways we should be living “productively”. Suffice to say that Joel’s definition of intuition has some serious flaws. Did he even consult a range of professional intuitives to ask how they would define intuition?

Moving on, his suggestion that there are “Five easy rules”. No. Just no. There are not. Nothing about intuition is easy if you’ve been gas-lit from birth to ignore your intuition. And “rules”. I’m going out on a limb now and going to suggest this is all starting to sound a bit man-splainy. Apologies to all the fine wizards out there that identify as men and who, bless their dear souls, don’t engage with this practice.

Yes! I do agree with the author about not confusing strong emotion with intuition. Yes, yes, this is important. But we all work that out soon enough, kind of goes without saying.

I will leave it there now, for the time being. I’ll continue with the book and provide updates. In the meantime Please feel free to join in a discussion. I gave the book one star because it is in fact easy to read. The second star because the tone of the book is encouraging despite being misguided. It’s important, vitally important, that we all collectively hone our intuition. If this helps one person then I guess it’s ok… but really… it might also misguide many. Intuition is much much more than a New Scientific Discovery. Is belongs to everyone much more intimately, and no one ought to be the gatekeeper to what is and what isn’t a good intuitive practice.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Intuition Toolkit: The New Science of Knowing What Without Knowing Why" by Joel Pearson is a nonfiction book that teaches when and when not to use intuition. He has ten years of research on the subject, including experiments to back up his ideas.

I'm not the right audience for this book because I've had strong and accurate intuition my whole life. Following his rules would be more than a few steps backward for me, personally. But. I feel it's a useful book for people who are less experienced with intuition or who have never thought it could be real.

His definition of intuition is: "the learned productive use of unconscious information to improve decisions or actions." He believes everyone can learn to use their intuition and get better at it.

I don't think intuition needs to be scientific. That overcomplicates things. Some people find the concept of intuition confusing and unapproachable, so perhaps this book will help them.

One thing in particular I disagreed with is his statement that intuition shouldn't be relied on if one is depressed. I've had major depression all my adult life. This hasn't stopped me from effectively using my intuition.

The author, Joel Pearson, is also the narrator of the audiobook. He did a good job speaking clearly and evenly. He has an Australian accent, but not so strong that it's difficult to understand.

If you would like to develop intuition with more confidence and know when to not use it as you start out, check out this book. It will demystify the concept of intuition.

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster Audio Australia, and Joel Pearson for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

[Stella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great ideas, just oversimplified.

There were some great ideas and anecdotes about intuition and its everyday implementation, but I found the tone of the book very elementary which made it vague and uninspiring. It was hard to stick with. The SMILE technique sounds great in theory I just hope that it will translate in reality.

[TheDiversePhDReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

In "The Intuition Toolkit: The New Science of Knowing What without Knowing Why," Joel Pearson, a leading Australian neuroscientist, provides practical advice to people who seek  guidance when it comes to decision making. Pearson shares five practical guidelines for cultivating intuition, which is backed by scientific research. In the book, the author emphasizes that while some individuals naturally use intuition more than others, everyone can develop and trust their own intuitive abilities. He provides five essential rules for harnessing one's intuition, summed up by the acronym SMILE: Self-awareness, Mastery, Impulses and Addiction, Low Probability and Environment.  Pearson uses numerous stories that underscore the scientific foundation, accessibility, and intrigue of intuitive understanding. This is just like any other self-help book, you get out of it what you want and cannot compare your interpretation of the information presented to other people. The information was thoughtful and Pearson presented it in a way that people can understand and follow.  

Thank you to #NetGalley, the author Joel Pearson and Simon & Schuster Australia for a digital copy of #TheIntuitionToolkit in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The audio version of The Intuition Toolkit was reviewed. I did like that the book was narrated by the author. He did a great job narrating; you can tell how passionate he is about the subject matter.

The author's five essential rules for intuition are ...
S: Self-awareness (Feeling emotional? Don't trust your intuition)
M: Mastery (Learn before you leap: why mastery matters for intuition)
I: Impulses and Addiction (These are not intuition)
L: Low Probability (Don’t use intuition for probabilistic judgments)
E: Environment (Use intuition only in familiar and predictable contexts)

I was a bit surprised that they were not repeated at the end of the book.

Some of the material was a bit too deep for me; some material was interesting and I'm glad that I listened, but some parts were a bit too long (for me ... hence the 3 star rating).

Had this been a book required for a college course, it would probably deserve at least a 4 star rating.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Joel Pearson the author and Simon & Schuster Audio (Australia) for approving my request to review the advance listen copy of The Intuition Toolkit in exchange for an honest review.

Personally, I don't think a 3 star rating is very stellar. Upon request from the publisher or author, I'll delete my review.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertainment & Engagement:

Great. The book features entertaining anecdotes, studies, and explanations, making it enjoyable to read. The author’s style is very engaging.

Educational Value:

Great. Provides an in-depth exploration of the human mind and supporting research. Highly useful for anyone looking to understand human nature better.

Effort, Accessibility & Aesthetic Impact:
Great. Well-written and easy to read, with well-structured chapters that are perfect for breaking the book into manageable reading sessions.

Practical Application:
Great. Includes a step-by-step guide for applying the book’s insights, with practical explanations of how concepts can be used in real life.

Value for Writers:

Poor. Limited use for fiction writers, though the insights into human nature and the accompanying stories might be useful to some.

[Isabella Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars for me! Being a biomedicine student, I have a pretty in depth understanding of science, the brain etc, so I found it easy to follow when discussing the author discussed more scientific principles (I found they were relatively simplistic), but I think for a new comer to science this is great. I found it fascinating to hear the scientific backing behind intuition, especially since I also practise spirituality, it was a cool cross section! I do feel like the ‘rules’ for intuition were a bit too strict and a bit restrictive. I don’t necessarily think it is dangerous to use your intuition when all the boxes aren’t ticked in the SMILE rules. Regardless, really interesting to hear to science behind intuition!

[Lecy Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fascinating to learn about the scientific research behind intuition, but I'm not sure what to do with that information. In the book, the author shares the purpose behind writing it, to teach readers how to use their intuition safely. I don't know what that means because I didn't know that one could use their intuition unsafely. I feel conflicted after reading this. The science nerd in me enjoyed learning about the research, but I probably could have done without the self-help part of the book. *Advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[A Spicer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Breaks down intuition into science. Interesting stories and case studies. Applies logic to the use of intuition. Probably less liked by those who prefer a more spiritual view of intuition- Connection with spirits, God etc. Still, interesting to read and take from what you like, leave the rest.

[Bonni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Not great. I don't believe I gained any particularly new insights. I do believe in the power of intuition for both good and not-so-good. Not sure if a book about it really did much for me.

[Sensei Sarhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neuroscientists are just the most fascinating people to listen to. Interesting in hearing about Joel Pearson's scientific research on intuition.

[J Zee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read, finished quick, learned a lot. Loved the examples used

[Bowen Dwelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on practical intuition.

One point of disagreement, however: Pearson states on p147 that "People with an addiction also have trouble linking their embodied emotional responses - interception - with their conscious emotions. ...from all the data we do have, it's safe to say that decision-making, in general, does not function normally during addiction." and inparticular, that "If you're in an addictive relationship with a substance or a behaviour, then refrain from using your intuition; it most likely will not function well..."

This is an over-generalization, and backwards. Intuition is what got me past my own addictive behaviors, and I firmly believe that focusing on building a stronger relationship with intuition offers a valid and useful pathway for people to transcend (and prevent) addiction.