Scientists Say Gut Feelings Could Be Memories From the Future — And Here’s the Strange Theory Behind It

Have you ever used your gut feelings or intuition to make a decision about a certain situation? What if that gut feeling is actually a memory of yourself from the future, signalling to you what the right choice is? It sounds like a science fiction movie plot, but it was actually a real theory from a cognitive neuroscientist.

Researchers are now exploring the idea of whether our bodies and minds can actually sense some events before they occur. So, in this article, let’s explore and question the strange theories and science that could explain these phenomena.

The Theory — Memories from the Future

In a recent article from Popular Mechanics, cognitive neuroscientist Julia Mossbridge explains that our gut feelings may be a memory coming from the future. She suggests that our sense of time and ability to tap into the future are more flexible than we think. If we ever get a sudden feeling that we know what is about to happen, it might be our future memory that we are accessing, not consciously.

Cognitive neuroscientist Julia Mossbridge’s theory did not just pop out of nowhere in the scientific field. It was built upon years of studying and researching a phenomenon called Predictive Anticipatory Activity” (PAA) or presentiment.

In their experimental tests, the researchers measured tiny physical responses in individuals such as their heart rate, brain waves, and even skin conductivity. They found that our bodies could react before something even happens, like an anticipation of the future.

Read more: Popular Mechanics

Gut-Brain Science Test Explains How Intuition Might Work

The Science of Precognition | Dr. Julia Mossbridge

So, how does one even test our gut feelings or intuition, measuring if our bodies react even before something happens? Well, the tests they conducted were simple, by using a computer to randomly show images to the individuals while they tested their physical responses.

The images were a mix of normal or neutral and emotionally inducing ones, such as a disturbing photo. Since the order of the images shown is totally random, there should be no way for the subject to know what type of images will be shown. But this was not the case.

Despite the computer showing the images in random order, the subject’s physical responses, like their heart rate, brain waves, and skin conductivity, spiked just before the emotionally inducing image was about to be shown. The twist was that this did not happen as often before the neutral image, which is very fascinating.

For neuroscientist Julia Mossbridge, these findings suggest the human body or the mind might be perceiving future events in ways we do not currently understand. This test could mean that intuition may be true, and we may have access to the “memories from the future”, as wild as that sounds. However, let’s check what the real scientific explanation could be.

The Adaptive Unconscious — Quick Decisions Saved Lives

As captivating as the idea is about humans being able to perceive the future using our memories from that time, the more widely accepted theory is based on humans’ brain evolutionary history. A concept known as the adaptive unconscious could explain what happened in the experiment, and what our gut feelings or intuition are.

The adaptive unconscious is a very powerful mechanism that operates just below the conscious mind. It is a high-speed cognition that allows humans to process information and make quick and efficient judgments about a certain situation or environment.

This is a part of our brain that recognizes patterns in our surroundings based on our own experiences from the past, as well as our knowledge of the present. However, it does this without the slow and deliberate work of the conscious mind that analyses everything. This could be why it appears as memories of the future, or as a gut feeling, because of how fast and sometimes shocking it is.

In the experiment, the brain could have gotten used to the patterns, as it is very good at this job. Therefore, the bodies reacted the way they did, by anticipating the emotionally inducing photos, even before it was shown. This might explain how our intuition works in the real world.

Read more: Yahoo

Is This Real or Just a Trick of the Mind?

The Science of Intuition: How to Measure 'Gut Feelings'

While the idea of humans having access to their memories from the future sounds awesome, the scientific community is very cautious because of the various factors that could affect the study, such as the adaptive unconscious discussed above.

Additionally, once the brain has gotten used to the patterns, no matter how random it was, humans could always guess, and also have a bias to remember the right instances. Still, intuition is very helpful, and our gut feelings are often right to draw from past experiences and recognized patterns to make decisions in the present.

Author's Final Thoughts

The strange theory that states our gut feelings could be memories from the future mixes science with a touch of something unknown. While humans do not have proof that our bodies could time-travel, our minds certainly can in their own way, like looking back at the past and predicting the future.

Intuition is part of humans’ survival mechanism. By revisiting the past, we can learn from our experiences and recognize patterns to decide what’s best for the present. Also, by projecting oneself into the future, we are able to prepare for challenges, avoid harm, and in some cases, predict what will happen before it does.

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