When is the last time you caught a ball that was thrown towards you? What your brain does as you prepare to catch the ball is highly predictive. You not only watch the ball in flight, but you also predict where it is going. You use a series of visual cues, and adjust your hand position to catch the ball. While the ball is moving through the air, you monitor its flight path, and minutely update your predictions of its arrival time. And when you catch the ball, your brain confirms the accuracy of your prediction. If you catch a ball often, your brain continually adapts and improves the way that you engage in the activity.

Your brain analyses what might happen in your near future with many everyday experiences. Strong predictive ability indicates higher intelligence, given that you are more likely to solve problems. You analyse relevant data by using some predictive factors, and then determine the probability of what might occur up ahead. Those predictive factors can include the recent history of similar events, the age of people involved, cultural backgrounds, or who is directly involved.

Driving a car requires predictive perception of what other drivers are about to do. Without this ability, you are less likely to survive the drive. When you play most sports, you often predict what the other player or team is likely to do in response to your own actions. Some people – including me – ponder the next few minutes, hours and days of life beforehand, and then pre-plan how to maximise on every opportunity.

Matthew Syed maintains that “Prediction is central to pretty much every decision we make, whether at work, or in everyday life.” In ‘Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction’, Philip Tetlock and Dan Gardner wrote that we are all forecasters through necessity: “When we think about changing jobs, getting married, buying a home, making an investment, launching a product, or retiring, we decide based on how we expect the future will unfold.” Your ability to analyse your future can create a tangible advantage for you.