Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
by Malcolm Gladwell
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Book Summary Information
Author: Malcolm GladwellEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-04-03
ISBN: 0316010669
Number of pages: 296
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780316010665
- Condition: New
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Book Reviews of Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
Book Review: Book Review - "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking"
Summary: 4 Stars
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
Summary
"Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking" talks about how everyday decisions that we make almost subconsciously tend to be more complex than we may realize. Malcom Gladwell points out how some people aren't better than others at making decisions necessarily because they spend the most amount of time thinking about them, but more because they are good at picking out the important factors in a problem from the sometimes overwhelming number of variables in a given situation, and therefore focusing on these factors in order to make a decision. The author talks about how some of the best and most urgent/important decisions that we make occur based on judgments made at the "blink" of an eye.
Gladwell uses the term "thin-slicing" to describe how when faced with a problem or situation, we tend to almost immediately unconsciously begin to filter out information that is irrelevant to the situation at hand, while we simultaneously subconsciously start to focus more and more on important "slices" of information with each second. The author elaborates that much of this thin-slicing analysis is based on knowledge and experience that we posses from previous situations, much of which is stored behind a "locked door" (i.e. we often cannot explain in words why or how these "snap judgments" that we make actually occur). He cites research conducted by a psychologist named Jonathan W. Schooler in noting that the brain's two hemispheres work completely differently, in that the left hemisphere often works in logic and words, while the right hemisphere is very visual. While we often use the aforementioned thin-slicing techniques to make snap judgments that are fairly accurate most of the time, when people have been asked to put the logic behind this quick thinking into words, it often not only causes them to falter in their explanations, but also overshadows and clouds the original thinking that subconsciously took place in their minds.
The author cites many examples and analysis to bring to light the true "power of thinking without thinking", since many of us truly do not realize how much of our thinking is truly done in our unconscious. He explains that if we can learn to improve the quality of our decisions, we need to acknowledge and respect the fact that we may not always be able to know the true basis behind our thinking. Furthermore, a true balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking is key. If we allow our unconscious to take over 100 % in our decisions and analysis/judgment-making, we may end up with results that are too shallow. On the contrary, if we rely too much on deliberate analysis, we may overload our brains with information and overlook the crucial part of our unconscious that is part of human nature and serves as a key element in allowing us to make even better and more accurate judgments and decisions than any amount of research and analysis could ever produce.
Response/Opinion
I personally enjoyed Malcom Gladwell's "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking", especially because I feel as though I can relate very closely to the underlying premise of what Gladwell is talking about in this book. Gladwell's main focus in "Blink" is about the human subconscious: the thought process that is performed in almost every situation of life that occurs unconsciously. The author further emphasizes the true importance of this ability that we humans posses, and how it is even often more essential to our everyday lives than in-depth analysis and active thought processes.
Gladwell uses the example of the Getty Kouros, a Greek statue dating back to the sixth century B.C. that had been discovered by Gianfranco Becchina and presented to the J. Paul Getty museum in the early 1980's. Because such discovered kouroses are typically heavily damaged, worn, and visibly apparent that they were dug out of the ground, the fact that this kouros was in such good shape made many wary as to its authenticity. As a result, months of analysis and testing were conducted on the kouros, all of which pointed towards the kouros being the real deal. Nonetheless, experienced historians and experts such as Federico Zeri and Thomas Hoving took a look at this kouros, and almost at first glance, something told them that it just "wasn't right". Whether it is the statue's unusual flawlessness, or even something odd about its fingernails, many experts in this field had a strange feeling when observing the kouros no matter what the analysis and evidence had shown. Hoving even stated that the first word that came to his mind when seeing the marble statue was "fresh", a word obviously not fitting for a kouros that is supposedly over 2,000 years old. Though it still has not been determined whether or not the kouros is a true work of art from the sixth century B.C. or simply a well-crafted replica, many historians were able to make an almost instantaneous suspicious judgment about the statue just by looking at it. What is even more interesting is that if they are truly right, their instinctual "snap judgments" made by "thin-slicing" (that in the end these historians could not even explain in words) would prove to be more accurate than months of analysis and testing.
The author discusses other examples that cite the mysterious ways of our subconscious, such as in the case of speed dating. He makes the interesting point that even though speed dating only allows people to have six minutes with each other before moving onto the next person, this time is enough for most people to use their instincts and snap-judgments in order to determine whether or not they think this person may be a potential fit. Or, another example cites an experiment where a Marne, Paul Van Riper, and several Marine Corps Generals traveled to the Mercantile Exchange in New York to meet with a group of Wall Street traders. After the market closed for the day, these Marines participated in trading games. Afterwards, the traders were similarly taken to a military base and participated in war games on computers, as well as live tank exercises. What was ultimately found was that both groups did extremely well on their simulations and games. Because Marines and traders both work in positions that require them to make frequent, spur-of-the-moment decisions, they both think the same way. Both groups were used to working under pressure and relying on thin-slicing and snap judgments in order to make effective decisions, and therefore did very well in their respective exercises.
Whether it be Marine Corps, stock brokers, historians, or any other type of human, Gladwell points out that we all "think without thinking" on a daily basis. I particularly enjoyed his analysis because I am frequently someone who has trouble acting on what my brain tells me, since I usually concurrently have a stronger gut-instinct present within my heart that can conflict with my logical side. I think that a lot of what Gladwell elaborates on when he compares snap judgments that come from our subconscious versus more drawn-out, deliberate thinking processes relates to "thinking with your heart" versus "thinking with your head". Because I am, as I said, someone who frequently lets his heart win over his head, this instinct versus logic battle is something that I find myself struggling with on a daily bases since I am also largely a logical thinker and always analyze everything before making a decision. In fact, I frequently find myself trying to teach myself to think a different way in future situations after I find myself regretting making a decision in which I either let myself rely too much on my heart, or too much on my head.
Gladwell emphasizes the fact that as humans, we need to try to find a balance between deliberate analytical thought and instinctual thinking. Because this has long been a struggle for me, I thoroughly enjoyed Gladwell's analysis and examples. He makes the interesting point that though all humans naturally use thin-slicing to make snap judgments that we often cannot even explain, people who are "experts" in a particular field tend to make less shallow judgments because of their experience and stored knowledge. I think that as time goes on and as one gains more experience through a repetition of similar types of situations, we naturally become "experts" in dealing with certain types of situations and decisions. The problem that I have come across however is that I tend to forget knowledge that I have gained from past experiences too easily, and I end up making the same mistakes in my analysis and decision making processes by repeating these mistakes throughout time. I think that Gladwell's insights have taught me that I personally need to work more actively towards keeping track of my experiences and using this gained knowledge in the active sector of my thinking process when situations arise. Yes, I will never be able to change the fact that I think largely with my heart (which I should not want to change), but if I am able to store this experience and knowledge effectively, I will be able to use it to my advantage in being able to make more in-depth and knowledgeable decisions in the future, especially when it comes to applying more of a deliberate thought-process in counteracting some of my snap judgments that may be somewhat incorrect.
Overall, I really enjoyed "Blink" and what Malcom Gladwell had to say in this reading. I think his analysis is very pertinent since this is a topic in which every human being can relate to. Furthermore, it is most certainly applicable to everyone's lives, whether personally or in the business world. In relation to this course and in measuring customer value, I think Gladwell's analysis is especially pertinent since much of the perceptions and decisions made by marketers often rely on thin-slicing and snap judgments in addition to in depth analysis and market-research, especially in face-to-face, real-time situations with customers. All-in-all, I think that this book was an excellent read and is very relevant to our society in many ways. I would highly recommend it to people in all walks of life, as it is an easy read that can be very beneficial to people's lives and future decision-making.
Summary of Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
In his landmark bestseller The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell redefined how we understand the world around us. Now, in Blink, he revolutionizes the way we understand the world within.Blink is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant-in the blink of an eye-that actually aren't as simple as they seem. Why are some people brilliant decision makers, while others are consistently inept? Why do some people follow their instincts and win, while others end up stumbling into error? How do our brains really work-in the office, in the classroom, in the kitchen, and in the bedroom? And why are the best decisions often those that are impossible to explain to others?
In Blink we meet the psychologist who has learned to predict whether a marriage will last, based on a few minutes of observing a couple; the tennis coach who knows when a player will double-fault before the racket even makes contact with the ball; the antiquities experts who recognize a fake at a glance. Here, too, are great failures of "blink": the election of Warren Harding; "New Coke"; and the shooting of Amadou Diallo by police.
Blink reveals that great decision makers aren't those who process the most information or spend the most time deliberating, but those who have perfected the art of "thin-slicing"-filtering the very few factors that matter from an overwhelming number of variables.
Blink is about the first two seconds of looking--the decisive glance that knows in an instant. Gladwell, the best-selling author of The Tipping Point, campaigns for snap judgments and mind reading with a gift for translating research into splendid storytelling. Building his case with scenes from a marriage, heart attack triage, speed dating, choking on the golf course, selling cars, and military maneuvers, he persuades readers to think small and focus on the meaning of "thin slices" of behavior. The key is to rely on our "adaptive unconscious"--a 24/7 mental valet--that provides us with instant and sophisticated information to warn of danger, read a stranger, or react to a new idea.
Gladwell includes caveats about leaping to conclusions: marketers can manipulate our first impressions, high arousal moments make us "mind blind," focusing on the wrong cue leaves us vulnerable to "the Warren Harding Effect" (i.e., voting for a handsome but hapless president). In a provocative chapter that exposes the "dark side of blink," he illuminates the failure of rapid cognition in the tragic stakeout and murder of Amadou Diallo in the Bronx. He underlines studies about autism, facial reading and cardio uptick to urge training that enhances high-stakes decision-making. In this brilliant, cage-rattling book, one can only wish for a thicker slice of Gladwell's ideas about what Blink Camp might look like. --Barbara Mackoff
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