Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell (a review)



Are you going to finish reading this post?

I happen to know that you've already decided. You decided during the first sentence. (You also may or may not know that I can tell from Google Analytics if you actually follow through with your decision.)

I know this because Malcolm Gladwell explained in Blink that the value of knee-jerk decisions made by experts is about the same as deeply researched and well thought out decisions made by most anyone.

But there's a catch. Turns out that "Snap judgments and rapid cognition take place behind a closed door" (51). In other words, we can make reasonably informed decisions in an instant, but we're not so good at explaining why they're good decisions.

The issue is further complicated by our poor decisions. This has everything to do with racial prejudices, marketing and shopping, choosing a mate, understanding the enemy in a battle, and deciding whether or not to shoot an intruder in the dark who may turn out to be your son stopping by to surprise you with a visit.

The good news is this: we can train ourselves to make wise decisions. We can precondition our physical and emotional surroundings to help us and others control our environments and make the automatic, background thinking work in our favor.

Gladwell is not without his critics. But at its worst, this is an idea that would be a really good one if it were true. So how do you make assumptions work in your favor? Read the book and find out.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."




Question: Did you make it all the way down here to the question? (Most won't.)

Comments (4)

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I enjoyed the book very much, but I did feel that what often gets glossed over in the book is that they are snap decision by experts...meaning that in areas where we're NOT experts, we're probably better off thinking our decisions out as well as we possibly can. In the stacks in a library, I can almost sense when something isn't where it should be, and I tend to know exactly where to look for something (i.e., where is it if it isn't where it SHOULD be?). I react more quickly to smaller cues in that environment because I've spent a good deal of time studying it. Take me into a Starbucks, though, and every decision is agony: too much information, no experience.
1 reply · active 752 weeks ago
Very excellent clarification, Kat. As usual, you are a voice of reason in these parts.

I suppose the book moved me because it taught me not to behave as I've been behaving. I do the opposite of what I should. I sit on loads of information when it's available to me, and I make snap decisions in ignorance figuring that I can change course later as I go.

But your point is correct, and stated even louder by Gladwell's critics: we can learn to make GOOD, rapid decisions on subjects about which we know a great deal. Like walking. We don't think about walking. It's automatic.
Len Davis's avatar

Len Davis · 752 weeks ago

I am so proud of myself. : )
1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago
For showing up? Hi, Len.

Hey everyone! Look! We have a real lawyer here!

(You are a real lawyer, right?)

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