It’s when a dark alleyway makes the hairs stand up on the back of our neck; when a mother just knows that something’s wrong with her kid; when you meet someone, and can tell they’ll either be your best friend — or your worst nightmare.

On the surface, intuition can seem a bit like magic — this unexplainable knowledge that pops in our heads, based on nothing but a feeling. But scientists say there’s more to intuition than just gut instinct. It’s about how our brains use years of accrued information to make predictions about what’s going to happen next — all on a subconscious level. But if we don’t know exactly how intuition works, how can we trust it — and should we trust it?

On this episode, we explore intuition — what it is, how we can harness it, and when to avoid it. We hear stories about the edge that human doctors have over AI, one woman’s incredible feat of motherly intuition, and why some people call intuitive eating the antidote to diet culture.

Also heard on this week’s episode: