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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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Description edit see section history

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

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

  • - If you look at this book really quickly, you'll think it's amazing!
  • - First impressions and subconcious thinking can mean a lot more than we might imagine.
  • - An attempt to address how to control the mind as decision making can alter the life course within blink of time.
  • - Trust your gut.
  • - The importance of instinct to the workings of the mind.
  • - A book about the first two seconds of seeing something.
  • - First impressions and unconscious reactions
  • - Sometimes our first impressions are right...but sometimes they're not.
  • - Heuristics are a better way to make decisions in the face of complexity.

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

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.”
Show all 14 quotes from this book

Setting & Locations edit see section history

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)
This is book 111 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2011). (authoritative list)
This is book 114 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2011). (authoritative list)
This is book 104 of 194 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2010). (authoritative list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Malcolm Gladwell (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Little Brown & Co
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2005
ISBN: 0316172324
Page Count: 277

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
  • Powered by Instinct: 5 Rules for Trusting Your Guts
  • What's Behind Your Belly Button?: A Psychological Perspective of the Intelligence of Human Nature and Gut Instinct

Books That Cite This Book edit see section history

   
  • Reference Renaissance
  • Free for All
  • Oddly Normal

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