Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Fight of Flight

Gut Instinct

Have you ever felt that internal gut response kick in when encountering certain situations?  That Gut Instinct, feels like a rush of emotions which might be telling you to go right, go left, or stop in your tracks?  Halloween is just a few days away and we have all seen our fair share of scary movies depicting – Gut Instinct! 



Our gut response is not a bad thing. We are – after all – animals (highly evolved and thinking animals, but animals’ none-the-less). Though we can rationalize a situation to death….if I go into this room, where Freddy Krueger may be, there is a potential for harm...having a rational thinking human brain may do more harm than good in some emotional situations.   


Studies have shown that your body’s intuition – sweaty palms, sinking feeling in the stomach, increased heart beat – will point you in the right direction faster than your brain’s problem solving center. This comes from an evolutionary need to survive.  Sometimes it was better to cut and run vs. stay and fight.  Well, even though we don’t encounter too many Zombies, Dracula or Michael Meyers these days, the next time you are potentially bogged down by data or a situation where your problem solving skills are working against you; check your dilated pupils, and go with your gut instinct!!


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