Have you ever made a judgement in a few seconds but can’t explain why? It’s common to make a snap decision with no explanation, as it was shaped by your previous experiences. Malcolm Gladwell shows that trusting your first instincts can often lead to sound decisions. His book, “Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking” is a collection of examples explaining the reasoning for these moments, as well as scenarios where these moments have gone horribly wrong.
Our brain is a complex structure, where its physiological and psychological domains are yet to be fully comprehended. Gladwell reveals a number of events and experiments where a wealth of experience can lead to successful snap decisions. These examples range from soldiers and firefighters making split second decisions, to psychologists determining whether a couple will end up divorced or not. Despite our innate ability to draw on answers, our level of understanding the brain’s complexity limits our potential to pinpoint determining factors in these outcomes.
Our brains can analyse many situations in the first few seconds, Gladwell revealing how further exposure can result in confusion and second guessing of a decision. It is affirmation that less is more, and scientific proof to ‘trust your gut’ in a range of scenarios.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, our initial observations can also lead to inaccurate impressions. Gladwell points out examples where long term exposure can lead to more accurate outcomes. For example, in food and beverage products, the taste experience can be more enjoyable when the food or beverage is finished, rather than a sample tasting. The initial vs long exposure can alter our perception of products, and provide marketers with insights to influence our buying habits.
Making snap decisions can also end in negative outcomes. Gladwell points out a variety of situations where raised heart rate puts our brains into a state not capable of processing new information. This results in making decisions based off instinct, derived from lived experiences. Gladwell provides intriguing and unfortunate examples of police officers placed in intense situations, leading to tragic outcomes.
As always I enjoyed Gladwell’s engaging writing style, his books are bestsellers for a reason. Many of his examples reminded me of similar content to “Thinking Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahnman, but I feel that Gladwell lacks the deep technical analysis from a physiological or psychological perspective. These angles would add more depth to the book, but his examples have provided stimuli for further probing into these topics.
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Books for Thought 