The feeling of knowing happens to us

 

“The feeling of certainty we have when we know something comes from sources beyond our control and knowledge. In fact, certainty is a mental sensation, rather than evidence of fact. Because this feeling of knowing seems like confirmation of knowledge, we tend to think of it as a product of reason. But an increasing body of evidence sug­gests that feelings such as certainty stem from primitive areas of the brain and are independent of active, conscious reflection and reasoning. The feeling of knowing happens to us ; we cannot make it happen.“