Q. What actually is intuition and who has it, males or females?

A. Intuition is a brain-function ability that helps human beings to perceive outside the typical sensory systems (e.g., visual, auditory, kinesthetic). It is thought to be closely tied to emotional intelligence. Think of it as an additional sense. When highly developed, intuition tends to flow. In other words, the person doesn’t consciously turn it on or off. Some believe that intuition fuels both creativity and inspiration.

Intuition is believed to be housed in, or directed from, the right frontal lobe of the cerebrum. This means that each relatively undamaged human brain possesses some potential for intuitive ability, regardless of gender.

Having said that, individuals who have a biochemical preference for processing information in the right frontal lobe may find it easier to access and utilize intuition.

By way of interest, the female brain is believed to have an additional sense of intuition, sometimes referred to as the sixth sense of intuitive knowing. This may result from the female brain’s more generalized style of thinking. The brain may pick up peripheral nuances that may be missed by a brain that is more instrumental and lateralized in functional style.