If you’ve ever had the hunch that gut feelings lead to the best decision, well, you might not be too far off the mark. An app developed by Northwestern University neuroscientist Julia Mossbridge taps into the body’s physiological response to intuition—specifically, variations in heart rate—to help you sort through decision-making quagmires and figure out what you really want.

“Some people thought it was ridiculous,” Choice Compass’ inventor Mossbridge told Macleans. “You’re literally listening to your heart.”

Here’s how it works: After downloading and launching the app, you hold your index finger over your smartphone’s camera lens for 50 seconds. The camera can detect your heart rate—which, for a typical resting adult, falls between 60 and 100 beats per minute.

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According to the Choice Compass site: “A more rhythmic heartbeat pattern shows an inner state of calm and joy. A less rhythmic heartbeat pattern shows an inner state of stress, fear, or anger. As you concentrate on each of two different choices for one minute (example: ask for a raise vs. switch jobs), Choice Compass detects your heartbeat patterns to help you learn what the right decision should be—i.e., what choice reflects the calm and joyful feelings that will benefit you.”

There are some scenarios in which it makes sense to use Choice Compass—simple, direct situations where all other variables, besides your own decision, are stable and/or under your control. Other, more emotionally loaded dilemmas for which the outcome also depends on variables outside of your purview—like the behavior and/or reaction of others—yield less clear results.

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