Who?
Anyone interested in how we make decisions.
When?
Put it in your queue.
Why?
It’s a fascinating book, and at something like 3,400 words, it is also a quick read.
Best Quote
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.
Review
In Blink, Malcolm Gladwell examines how we make decisions – with the major focus being on split second decisions. He uses military engagement, police shootings, soda taste tests, art forgeries, and many other examples to show how humans do a better job with split second decisions than they do with more data and more time to think in many cases, but he also demonstrates how we frequently use split second decision making skills at times when they are wholly ineffective. Examples of this are times when we are agitated and therefore do not have as much energy or attention to devote to a decision as well as times when we’re primed for a specific response.
Blink is a great taste test for anyone looking to learn a little about decision making, but it won’t give you so much that you feel you have to abandon the book if it’s note your cup of tea.
Last Word
I found Blink very intriguing and wish that Malcolm Gladwell had gone into further detail about nearly every point he touches on. Yes, I know that he’s really just referencing others’ works, and that’s fine by me. I’m not however the type of person that is going to sit down and read the latest from the annals of psychiatry or anything like that. It won’t happen, so having something like Malcolm Gladwell pull together all of these disparate and seemingly related stories is something I find valuable.
