Member Reviews
The Intuition Toolkit by Joel Pearson gives practical tips on improving my intuition with concrete examples of what can help and what should be avoided.
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.
The audio version of this book was very easy to listen to, the audio was well paced and spoken in a way that I didn’t zone out.
The content and book itself were very well written though I did feel overwhelmed with information at times leaving me to wonder how many times I’d need to listen to it (or read it) to be able to retain all of the points.
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.
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.
This book gives a scientific perspective of intuition and how and when it should be used. I loved the stories and smile ( self awareness - mastery- impulses- low probability-environment). What I loved about this book is that it didn’t just give you the typical follow your intuition speech. It wasn't an anti intuition book, rather a confirmation that intuition is indeed real and should be considered but not in all circumstances. I walked away from this audiobook thinking that intuition shouldn’t be our default in a world that is currently telling us to blindly follow it without considering the scientific side to it or potential consequences. There definitely needs to be some balance and I believe the smile method the author gives helps with that. Before you just follow consider a few things. Great listen! Great information! Great takeaways. Good job author!
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.
"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.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Intuition Toolkit. It provided thoughtful, well-organized insight into intuition, how it works in the brain, and when you should and shouldn't rely on it. I loved that it broke out all of the info so thoroughly, and that it didn't reiterate the same information over and over (something I find many self-help books do). Based in science, The Intuition Toolkit offers great advice and practical tips.