Is It Intuition or Emotion? Learning to Tell the Difference

In counseling, one of the key skills in understanding your feelings is learning the difference between an intuition and an emotion.

They can both feel similar, but they serve different purposes.

So what is an Intuition?

Intuition is like your inner knowing — a calm sense or “gut feeling” that gives you information without needing strong emotion.  It’s often steady, quiet, and reliable.  You might not know why you feel it, but it often turns out to be true or helpful.  Think of it like a fact in your feeling language — it gives clarity. 

What is an Emotion?

Emotion is a stronger reaction — like anger, fear, excitement, or sadness.  It often comes with a body sensation (heart racing, tense shoulders) and a push to act — to say or do something right away.  Emotions are less steady, more changeable, more subjected to biases, and can shift depending on the situation.  They’re not bad — they give us energy to act — but they may not always be the best guide for clarity and decision making. 

An Easy Analogy:

If intuition is like a fact, then emotion is like an opinion or judgment about that fact.

Facts give us clarity.

Opinions give us motivation — but they can also change quickly.

In the ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) framework, when we’re fused with emotion, we feel pulled to act right away — we’re caught up in the story or feeling. 

When we defuse, we step back, breathe, and notice the feeling without reacting — we get more space to have more clarity and choose what matters.

So, when your feeling is steady and calm, that might be intuition.  When your feeling is strong and urgent, that’s more likely an emotion.

So next time you feel something, ask yourself: 

“Is this a calm knowing… or a strong urge?” 

That question alone can help you respond with clarity rather than impulse.