Do you have good intuition?

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While trying to figure myself out, I came recently to the idea that I lack good intuition. I use this word here with the meaning of "an ability to understand something without reasoning". I wonder if you think similarly about yourself or if you disagree.

Why do I think that I lack good intuition? Here is a couple of reasons:

1. It appears that I have an intuitive assumption that everyone is thinking the same as me. (As if other people did not have their own minds.) This is of course illogical, and is usually quickly followed by a thought "no, wait, this is not right, they think differently". But this is a second thought, and I have caught myself many times on that. This problem is nothing else but the lack of the intuitive "theory of mind".

2. People are supposed to learn unwritten social rules intuitively (i.e. by "osmosis", without reasoning). Because I lack good intuition, I am unable to learn them intuitively, and because of that I suffer from social rejection.

3. When I was a child, I had big problems performing tasks that were not explained to me in details. For example, my mother, while preparing dinner, would ask me sometimes if I could stir the soup while she went to do something else. My answer was:
"Of course, how often and how long should I stir?"
"Once in a while until the soup is hot."
"What temperature should the soup have, how do I measure it and how long the while lasts?"
Suffice is to say, my mother's reaction was to get angry, she was probably thinking that I was lazy or naughty. However, I genuinely wanted to help, but just didn't know how and didn't understand why my mother would not reveal the secret. The problem was that I was expected to intuitively know how to perform this task, but I was lacking intuition. Nowadays I usually cope with such situations by experimenting.

Lacking good intuition doesn't mean that I don't have it at all. I have it, but it is somewhat weird. This weirdness can be used to an advantage. I recently started learning quantum physics, because I wanted some difficult challenge for my mind. It is often said that nobody is able to understand quantum mechanics, one can only get used to it. This is because quantum mechanics is so weird. But not for me. It appears that I understand its concepts "without reasoning", that is intuitively. Now I know that this may sound strange to people who have studied the subject, but believe me, this is how I feel.

So, what do you think about this?

[Sorry, I seem to be writing a lot of long posts. I hope that I didn't bore anybody to death!]

Last edited by magic on 17 Jul 2004, 5:52 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Interesting post, magic. I don't have social or language intuition either, but when I used to work, my co-workers kept insisting that I was psychic - apparently I 'knew' things about them and their lives. Naturally they got rid of me, lol.

Hey magic, your post was fine, I assures ya.

It's a shame people are looked at as dumb when they ask perfectly legitimate questions in search of new knowledge. I've heard that phrase "theory of mind" more lately.

I relate to you on needing details on tasks. One of my personal hells was using a washcloth on a table. Yeah, it sounds so laughable! And it is to me now, but when I was growing up, it was most certainly not. Worst was the frustration of seeing how other kids could do it sooo easily, and how I had the hardest time in the world grasping such a basic task.

I also resound with you on the "experimentation" front, that's what I've taken to. It's gotten me into trouble sometimes though, so sometimes I like to watch someone else who's knowledgeable do it first, and then follow their lead.

"Intuition" can be a spectrum all its own... for example, is not the autistic child talented in mathematics -- a stereotype but nevertheless a positive truth and a definite ability for some -- possess an "intuition" for the workings of numbers?

And how you approach "quantum mechanics", similarly I could put the case forward. A frustration though I feel is on stuff that I "get" that most others do not, there is no way for me to explain it fully. On a person-to-person basis, you either "get" it or you don't. One of the maddening frustrations of life when it comes to communicating with others, but all the more reason to express yourself through your abilities and talents and whatever you choose to follow through as you see fit!

I know what you mean, Torley. Since I'm still a student in art school, I have a lot of critiques on my work from my classmates and teachers. I always just let them speak about it, and will only answer questions when directly asked, or when I realize that there is something they have misinterpreted. I guess I don't have good "theory of mind" intuition either, because I always think that my intentions are clearly there in what I have hung up on the wall, and only when people misinterpret or question do I realize that they don't know exactly what I was thinking about or aiming for for any given piece of work. It's odd, because even if they do interpret it the right way they always feel the need to ask me to explain myself. I don't think I should have to explain myself, either the work successfully speaks for itself, or it doesn't! I know intellectually that they want to know where I was coming from in order to give a better critique, but that is not something that I grasp intuitively.

The people who give a dissertation on their art before presenting always annoy me, because a large part of illustration is that it should be easily interpretted by general audiences, and if it can't be understood without an explanation, then it's not making a successful point. Also, I think people are entitled to having their own interpretation of a piece of art, and they aren't allowed to do that once the artist has put their original intent into their audience's minds.

Those artists won't be there to explain their piece to every person who happens to see it as they flip through a magazine.

Sorry, I didn't mean to get so far off topic, but I got started on a bit of a rant, and I had to finish it!

Taking into consideration that our brains function differently than the neurotypical world, and we experience everything differently how are we to know how they perceive everything? That's where I have been having the most trouble in researching autism. It's like a veterinarian telling me what a monkey is feeling. That veterinarian has no idea in hell what that monkey is really feeling, but I'm taking their word for it. Theory of mind has always sounded like a fancy word for an assumption. For instance we have to take into account alot of different things when we are learning to perform a task(ie, hypersensitivity, possible nervousness from being around everyone, our attention to detail, etc.)they don't know that. In their ignorance they dub us to be weak of mind. Not their fault, but it is frustrating for us. Besides assumptions just make an ass out of u and mption. Also to comment on the quantum physics intuition, I have been working on computers since high school. I've never taken a computer class in my life. The first day I had an opportunity to even touch a computer I ended up fixing the modem and installing a scanner. I guess I just had good "theory of operating system".

[rant]

Were expected to. Simple as that. I just got done being chewed out by a co-worker over the phone because I ranted about him to others about how he treats me. Seems he can say what ever he feels like about me, and I'm not allowed to do anything in response, even those he says he welcomes critisism,

hypocrite!!

Some times I feel like I should say "everything thats ever gone wrong is my fault" and all will be well again, but I'm not going to give NT's the satisfaction of doing so.

This whole social intuition thing really gets me peeved sometimes. Some how people view me as "the problem" cause I'm different, but yet they don't realize how they hurt me internally.

It's situations like this that make me want to say F@#% socializing! Just give me a cave out in the country some place to live in and I'll be happy. At least I won't have to worry about dealing with other people!

[/rant]

I consider intuition to be my major sence, but I don't know if I mean what NTs mean by intuition - for me, it is the ability to sence the feeling in a room or the energy from a person - I'll be damned if I have to use intution to decide if I'll get along with someone new or something, but I do use it everyday to 'look' at any new situation I'm in . . .

Thanks! It's nice to get reassuring responses. I do tend to "monologuize" sometimes.


My mother would say, sometimes jokingly, and more often in exasperation, that I had one area of the brain grown well above average, but the rest squeezed and not functioning properly. Knowing that autism changes relative sizes of various brain structures, my mother's diagnosis was probably correct.


Exactly! Quantum physics is a new thing to me, so let's put it aside for the moment. But I feel the same as you when it comes to programming (my profession). Very rarely I meet another programmer to whom I could relate professionally on a peer level. Usually I need to bend intelectually, and concentrate on superficial things, because they won't get the underlying "spirit" anyway. Of course, then they get mad at me and complain that I don't treat them as equals.

Nicely said! I have a degree in computer science, but these machines were always intuitive and natural to me. (And certainly they are not to most people!) What does it mean? Do we have processors with operating systems instead of human minds?

Scoots5012, I sympathize with you!

I think that the cave might be good, provided that it will be the cave with the broadband Internet access.

I suffer the same intuitive weaknesses described in 1. and 2. as well. I find that I have good physical intuition though, i.e. I can visualise and predict the motions of objects well.

I understand the maths of quantum mechanics, but its physical interpretation is in a different league from normal physical phenomena. That seems to be the case with most physicists --- they know how to mathematically solve quantum mechanical problems, but are uncomfortable with its physical manifestations. If you are saying that you can intuitively understand the physical aspect of quantum mechanics (as opposed to merely being able to do the maths), you may indeed have a rare talent.

My theory on this has been that we don't lack a "theory of mind"- because most of us understand atleast intellectually that other people have minds that are separate from ours, we just don't pick up on the clues that would give us the insights into the other people's minds. The professionals speak about "theory of mind" as a cause of our problems, while I see it more as a result of what you've mentioned here, our different ways of percieving. While most people intuitively watch other people's eyes when they speak and know how to interpret them, we may be staring at the wall, or their mouths, or getting lost in thoughts of trying to understand or come up with a response to the other person.

From what I've read by other aspies and have experienced myself, we are often only able to focus on one thing at a time, while apparently NTs have a greater ability to focus and take in many different things. I'm inclined to believe this is the root of atleast some of my social problems, because I am not able to watch a person's eye movements and facial expression AND listen to what they are saying at the same time. It's either one or the other.

Perhaps the reason why those of you who have mentioned you have good "intuition" for physics or computers have that intuition for the same reason why NTs have good intuition for understanding eachother. Your brain is wired for picking up on the details that are necessary for understanding those subjects.

Of course I am not sure of that, it is only my impression. While physics has always been my hobby, I seriously started studying it only a couple of months ago. When I go through books, it's math that I stumble on. (It has been nearly a decade since I had anything to do with the calculus. Fortunately there is Mathematica nowadays! ) I am able to gain deep understanding of mathematical concepts, but it comes with an effort (a lot of reasoning). On the other hand, much to my surprise, concepts of quantum physics just "click into my mind", similarly as concepts of computer programming. As Richard Feynman wrote at the end of his Lectures on Physics: "The powers of instruction are of very little efficacy except in those happy circumstances in which they are practically superfluous. So for [those] who have understood everything, may I say I have done nothing but shown you the things." I can never say that I understood everything, but definitely I had the impression that I was being "shown things".

On a personal note: For a couple of years I worked as a lowly programmer. Not satisfied with that, I am now reinventing my life trying to become a scientist (I want to get to a good graduate school). This is a gamble, the risk of failure is big. I will take your words as an encouragement. Thanks a lot, Wowbagger!

Last edited by magic on 19 Jul 2004, 12:26 am, edited 2 times in total.

May I ask a question: Do you also have this problem while watching movies? I never have a problem of mantaining an eye "contact" with an actor on TV, but with a real person - that's a completely different story. I don't understand the reason.


I guess that you are right. Aspie or not, my brain is wired in an unusual way, no doubt about that.

i think thats mainly because you know the actor in the movie cant look directly at you.
iv worked out that i can look at a person fine but only when they arent looking directly at me. then when they turn to look at me i look the other way without thinking of it, i can see the other person is gettin annoyed by my eye reaction but i cant stop it.

crosseyed people are HELL to talk to lol

I don't have as big of a problem with looking at actor's eyes, but I don't know if this can be called "eye contact," since they aren't meeting your gaze. For me, it's that type of attention that sets off the alarm bells, so to speak. Like todayiamhuman said, I also look away instinctively when someone tries to make eye contact with me. I've been trying to stop doing this, because from what I have read, people think you are being subversive when you look away, they will either think you are uninterested or you are lying to them. It may also send a message of submission to them (probably one of my bigger problems, as people often try to control or manipulate me to their advantage).

When I look at the actor's eyes, I'm looking at them more as an ascetic thing, it's just like when I look at a person in front of me and focus on their forehead or their hair or something instead of their eyes. I think it's the attention that is demanded when they meet my gaze that overwhelms me, because then I'm faced with having to remember either to hold their gaze or look away, attempt to interpret their gaze, and also listen to what they are saying. It's the need to react a certain way both verbally and physically through body language that usually puts me in a bit of a panic. I imagine that NTs will have developed an ability for this at a young age, because they are able to take in more than one stimuli they probably learn it much more easily than aspies would. Aspies, on the other hand, are stuck with learning one or the other. Being the fact-based beings that aspies are, most probably attach to the less-changing world of language. I, for one, am unable to generalize facial expressions. I can tell basic emotions, like if someone is sad, happy, or angry, but unless I know the person well and have enough of a "database" or "library" in my mind of what they look like when they feel a certain way, it usually doesn't go beyond those basic emotional interpretations for me. From what I understand, NTs just instinctively understand someone's facial expression, whether they know that person or not.