How often do we end up regretting the same thing: not the mistakes we made, but the gut feeling we ignored?

In hindsight—senno del poi, as Italians say—we become champions at spotting the obvious: That was the right idea. That was the path. I knew it. But when we’re inside the moment, it’s maddeningly hard to tell whether we’re hearing true intuition… or just witnessing impulsivity in a convincing disguise.

So how can we tell the difference?

The word intuition comes from the Latin intueor: in (“inside”) tueor (“to look, to watch”). Literally, it means “to look within.” Intuition is that immediate kind of knowing that arrives suddenly, without a neat explanation, often without words—like you can see into a situation.

Impulse, on the other hand, comes from the Latin impulsus, the past participle of impellere: “to push forward.” The root image is a shove. A surge. A momentum that wants movement now.

From one angle, intuition and impulse can look similar. Both tend to arrive without much verbal packaging. Both can propel us forward. But they don’t lead us forward in the same way.

Impulsivity can deliver quick relief—and long-term regret. Intuition can lead to difficult outcomes, yes, but it tends to open doors you didn’t even know existed. Even when intuition costs you........

© Psychology Today