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Blink
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Blink (2005) (edit title/settings)

The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

by Malcolm Gladwell (Author) (edit contributors)

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How do we make decisions--good and bad--and why are some people so much better at it than others? That's the question Malcolm Gladwell asks and answers in the follow-up to his huge bestseller, The Tipping Point. Utilizing case studies as diverse as speed dating, pop music, and the shooting of... read more

Summary edit see section history

This is another fine book by the author of Tipping point, an iconic book that captured the world’s attention with its theory that a curiously small change can have unforeseen effects. This is a fascinating book about how the mind works. It is about the power of thinking without thinking. The... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

This is another fine book by the author of Tipping point, an iconic book that captured the world’s attention with its theory that a curiously small change can have unforeseen effects. This is a fascinating book about how the mind works. It is about the power of thinking without thinking. The first chapter is about thin slicing and analyzing complex problems by breaking them into small pieces and then taking a decision by only concentrating on the small but essential parts of the problem. In the second chapter the author discusses the power of the subconscious mind in taking decisions. In the next he goes on to describe the pitfalls of snap decisions. In the fifth chapter he discusses the structure of spontaneity and the right and wrong way to ask people what they want. In the sixth chapter the author brings out the delicate art of mind reading. Here he brings out how at a very high arousal state say because of anxiety, the brain loses its ability to mind read. Finally he brings out the advantages/ disadvantages of listening with your eyes.
The book is well researched with exhaustive notes. A must read for all who wish to harness the power of the mind.

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Quotes edit see section history

  • “If we are to learn to improve the quality of the decisions we make, we need to accept the mysterious nature of our snap judgments. We need to respect the fact that it is possible to know without knowing why we know and accept that - sometimes - we're better off that way.”
    Malcolm Gladwell
  • “It is quite possible for people who have never met us and who have spent only twenty minutes thinking about us to come to a better understanding of who we are than people who have known us for years.”
    Malcolm Gladwell
  • “Truly successful decision making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking.”
    Malcolm Gladwell
  • “We have, as human beings, a storytelling problem. We're a bit too quick to come up with explanations for things we don't really have an explanation for.”
    Malcolm Gladwell
  • “We learn by example and by direct experience because there are real limits to the adequacy of verbal instruction.”
    Malcolm Gladwell
  • “We need to respect the fact that it is possible to know without knowing why we known and accept that -- sometimes -- we're better off that way.”
    Malcolm Gladwell
  • “The key to good decision making is to knowledge. It is understanding. We are swimming in the former. We are desperately lacking in the latter.”
    Malcolm Gladwell
  • “Some of these new thinkers say if we have better intelligence, if we can see everything, we can't lose," Colonel Van Riper said. "What my brother always says is, 'Hey, say you are looking at a chess board. Is there anything you can't see? No. But are you guaranteed to win? Not at all, because you can't see what the other guy is thinking.”
  • “Haste makes waste”
    Malcom Gladwell
  • “Contempt is closely related to disgust, and what disgust and contempt are about is completely rejecting and excluding someone from the community. The big gender difference with negative emotions is that women are more critical, and men are more likely to stonewall. We find that women start talking about a problem, the men get irritated and turn away, and the women get more critical, and it becomes a circle. But there isn't any gender difference when it comes to contempt.”
    Malcolm Gladwell
  • “You know, in order to make somebody laugh, you have to be interesting, and in order to be interesting, you have to do things that are mean. Comedy comes out of anger, and intereing comes out of angry; otherwise there is no conflict. But he was able to be mean and you forgave him, and you have to be able to forgive somebody, because at the end of the day, you still have to be with him, even after he's dumpted the girl or makde some choices that you dont' agree with.”
    Brian Grazer, Hollywood producer, on hiring Tom Hanks for Splash
  • “Insight is not a lightbulb that goes off inside our heads. It is a flickering candle that can easily be snuffed out.”
    Malcolm Gladwell
  • “In one study, we were watching newlyweds, and what often happened with the couples who ended up in divorce is that when one partner would ask for credit, the other spouse wouldn't give it. And with the happier couples, the spouse would hear it and say, 'You're right.' That stood out.”
    Amber Tabares
  • “Having lunch with <professional food tasters> is like going cello shopping with Yo-Yo Ma, or dropping in on Giorgio Armani one morning as he is deciding what to wear.”
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  • “Thin-slicing” refers to the ability of our unconscious to find patterns in situations and behavior based on very narrow slices of experience.
    Highlighted by 1206 Kindle customers
  • Four Horsemen: defensiveness, stonewalling, criticism, and contempt. Even within the Four Horsemen, in fact, there is one emotion that he considers the most important of all: contempt.
    Highlighted by 1103 Kindle customers
  • “When making a decision of minor importance, I have always found it advantageous to consider all the pros and cons. In vital matters, however, such as the choice of a mate or a profession, the decision should come from the unconscious, from somewhere within ourselves. In the important decisions of personal life, we should be governed, I think, by the deep inner needs of our nature.”
    Highlighted by 1096 Kindle customers
  • The key to good decision making is not knowledge. It is understanding. We are swimming in the former. We are desperately lacking in the latter.
    Highlighted by 1093 Kindle customers
  • The part of our brain that leaps to conclusions like this is called the adaptive unconscious,
    Highlighted by 878 Kindle customers
  • The first task of Blink is to convince you of a simple fact: decisions made very quickly can be every bit as good as decisions made cautiously and deliberately.
    Highlighted by 833 Kindle customers
  • When should we trust our instincts, and when should we consciously think things through? Well, here is a partial answer. On straightforward choices, deliberate analysis is best. When questions of analysis and personal choice start to get complicated—when we have to juggle many different variables—then our unconscious thought processes may be superior.
    Highlighted by 726 Kindle customers
  • We live in a world saturated with information. We have virtually unlimited amounts of data at our fingertips at all times, and we’re well versed in the arguments about the dangers of not knowing enough and not doing our homework. But what I have sensed is an enormous frustration with the unexpected costs of knowing too much, of being inundated with information. We have come to confuse information with understanding.
    Highlighted by 705 Kindle customers
  • This is the second lesson of Blink: understanding the true nature of instinctive decision making requires us to be forgiving of those people trapped in circumstances where good judgment is imperiled.
    Highlighted by 684 Kindle customers
  • If you’d like to try a computerized IAT, you can go to www.implicit.harvard.edu.
    Highlighted by 648 Kindle customers
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Setting & Locations edit see section history

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First Sentence edit see section history

In September of 1983, an art dealer by the name of Gianfranco Becchina approached the J. Paul Getty Museum in California.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Introduction--The Statue That Didn't Look Right
One--The Theory of Thin Slices: How a Little Bit of Knowledge Goes a Long Way
Two--The Locked Door: The Secret Life of Snap Decisions
Three--The Warren Harding Error: Why We Fall For Tall, Dark, and Handsome Men
Four--Paul Van Riper's Big Victory: Creating Structure for Spontaneity
Five--Kenna's Dilemma: The Right- and Wrong- Way to Ask People What They Want
Six-- Seven Seconds in the Bronx: The Delicate Art of Mind Reading
Conclusion--Listening with Your Eyes: The Lessons of Blink
Afterword
Notes
Acknowledgements
Index
Reading Group Guide

Glossary edit see section history

  • thin slice: our ability to gauge what is really important from a very narrow period of experience.
  • Priming: When very subtle triggers influence our behavior without our knowing.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 94 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2010). (authoritative list)

Preceded by Catch-22, and followed by A Walk to Remember.

This is book 111 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2011). (authoritative list)

Preceded by Anna Karenina, and followed by The Count of Monte Cristo.

This is book 114 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2011). (authoritative list)

Preceded by The Picture of Dorian Gray, and followed by Harry Potter Boxed Set (Books 1-7).

This is book 20 of 20 in New York Times Bestsellers - Paperback Nonfiction (Current). (authoritative list)

Preceded by The Hare With Amber Eyes.

This is book 104 of 194 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2010). (authoritative list)

Preceded by Three Cups of Tea, and followed by The Lord of the Rings.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Malcolm Gladwell (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Little Brown &amp;amp;amp; Co
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2005
ISBN: 0316172324
Page Count: 288

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: BF448 .G53 2005
  • Dewey: 153.44

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Adults

I would suggest "How we decide" by John Lehrer , than this book

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • Outliers
  • Survivor Personality
  • The Unthinkable
  • The Tipping Point
  • What the Dog Saw
  • Talent Is Overrated
  • Freakonomics
  • Stumbling on Happiness
  • The Paradox of Choice

Books That Cite This Book edit see section history

   
  • Reference Renaissance
  • Free for All

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