Let's say you're at a party where conversing means shouting until your neck veins bulge. Suddenly, amid the roar, someone speaks your name—and you snap to the voice instantly and easily. Psychologists call this the cocktail party effect. It shows that we hear as "loudest" the thing we deem most important.

What goes for cocktail parties also goes for the voices in our heads. Somewhere in there, among the worries, questions, advice, and advertising jingles, lives your intuition, your true "inner voice." You can hear it to the extent that you give it your attention. This quiz will assess how well you're doing that, and offer some ways to do better.