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This is a great book if you're interested in things like psychology and human behavior. The author does a wonderful job of explaining rapid cogniti... (show more)
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
Blink is about the first two seconds of looking--the decisive glance that knows in an instant. Gladwell, the best-selling author of The Tipping Point, campaigns for snap judgments and mind reading with a gift for translating research into splendid storytelling. Building his case with scenes from a marriage, heart attack triage, speed dating, choking on the golf course, selling cars, and military maneuvers, he persuades readers to think small and focus on the meaning of "thin slices" of behavi... (show more)
Blink is about the first two seconds of looking--the decisive glance that knows in an instant. Gladwell, the best-selling author of The Tipping Point, campaigns for snap judgments and mind reading with a gift for translating research into splendid storytelling. Building his case with scenes from a marriage, heart attack triage, speed dating, choking on the golf course, selling cars, and military maneuvers, he persuades readers to think small and focus on the meaning of "thin slices" of behavior. The key is to rely on our "adaptive unconscious"--a 24/7 mental valet--that provides us with instant and sophisticated information to warn of danger, read a stranger, or react to a new idea. Gladwell includes caveats about leaping to conclusions: marketers can manipulate our first impressions, high arousal moments make us "mind blind," focusing on the wrong cue leaves us vulnerable to "the Warren Harding Effect" (i.e., voting for a handsome but hapless president). In a provocative chapter that exposes the "dark side of blink," he illuminates the failure of rapid cognition in the tragic stakeout and murder of Amadou Diallo in the Bronx. He underlines studies about autism, facial reading and cardio uptick to urge training that enhances high-stakes decision-making.In this brilliant, cage-rattling book, one can only wish for a thicker slice of Gladwell's ideas about what Blink Camp might look like.--Barbara Mackoff (show less)
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The author of Blink, Malcolm Gladwell, has had a profound impact on people around the world by drawing attention to topics that many have experienc... (show more)
The author of Blink, Malcolm Gladwell, has had a profound impact on people around the world by drawing attention to topics that many have experienced but few have articulated. This influence is mostly a result of his other works, (The Tipping Point; Outliers).
In Blink, the author presents the thesis that the first two seconds of observation can be the most insightful. To that end he provides numerous anecdotal evidences. As is the case with all his works, Gladwell has a very easy to read style; it can easily be read on a flight.
However, in my opinion Gladwell does not match his previous excellence with Blink. It is not that the topic is not interesting. It just seems that he relies far too much on anecdotes. While stories can be interesting, they should be a supporting element rather than what such a sweeping work is based on. Gladwell also really does not put much weight on how important years of training are to achieving 'blink' insight. He does say that 'prejudice' can block perceptions but does not really quantify his results. It maybe there are other factors involved, but such possibilities are not entertained.
The book seemed to run out of steam rather quickly and after 75 pages I was just waiting for it to finish. In the end I felt the idea was innovative, but the work did not quite live up to its billing. I think reading 'Blink' along with Nasim Nicholas Taleb's 'The Black Swan' would round out the experience much better despite the two works taking diametrically opposing views on a number of core issues. (show less)
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This book starts out strong, but gets repetitive. I bogged down about halfway through, but I did continue reading and discovered that later in the book it became interesting again.
I did find what the book said about autism fascinating.
I know a man who can not recognize people if they change their hair. He never remembers faces, and never picks up on emotional ques. He remembers people by their voices.
At first I thought he was just narcissitic in the extreme, but over the years I ha... (show more)
This book starts out strong, but gets repetitive. I bogged down about halfway through, but I did continue reading and discovered that later in the book it became interesting again.
I did find what the book said about autism fascinating.
I know a man who can not recognize people if they change their hair. He never remembers faces, and never picks up on emotional ques. He remembers people by their voices.
At first I thought he was just narcissitic in the extreme, but over the years I have come to believe that he has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism.
This book supports that belief. Interesting.... (show less)
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I think I may be addicted to this man's writing! I was fascinatted by his analyses, especially the cases of police violence and what can be done about it, as well as the facial muscle/expression bit.
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I enjoy reading Gladwell's books. It's refreshing to see things from a new perspective, and neurotic to see them from the same old place again and again.
I've had experiences where I've wondered , why did I do that? (When it was actually a life saving maneuver), but the conscious I, didn't appear to have made it. This , "thin slicing", explains some of these events.I'm in no hurry to read any book, if its a novel, I'm pretty much confronted with the notion it's been written to stream roll is through it. These books are not those kinds of books, I have always about 20 books lying around anyway, and I'm actually free to read all part or none of them. I gain what I gain, and have no complaints. I think too many people have been conditioned about how to approach a book, and I think it's malarky.
I say, use your brain..to think!I do what I like, and if I wanna argue with the writer in the margins, I pick up a "pen" and do it..Live Dangerously! lol
Facebook User about 1 month ago -
This book kind of went two ways for me. The topic is very interesting, and I was mostly interested the whole time I read it (it definitely made a 4 hour bus ride back from new york less painful). Rapid cognition and the adaptive unconscious is one of those "too-gray" areas for science, and they always make for the most fun to read about for non-scientists.
But the every time Gladwell repeats a story, or shoves an earlier reference in to contextualize the story he's telling in that chapter, a little voice came on in my head, saying, schmaltzy, "I'm Malcom Gladwell, I write for 'The New Yorker'. REMEMBER THIS? I wrote about it earlier. You may remember because you're reading my book! Isn't it good? So interesting!" And I thought "CHRIST, Gladwell, give it a rest. I get it!"
Facebook User 2 months ago -
'Temporary autism'
My immediate reaction to this idea was that the making of incorrect judgements about people's emotions/intentions in a high-pressure situation absolutely does NOT equate to not making such judgements at all, as autism was described in the previous pages.
Any thoughts?
Facebook User about 1 year ago -
Blink
Hay did you like this book? I was looking at it the other day is it worth the buy?
Stephanie Smith about 1 year ago -
Stress Innoculation
I appreciated this book. It validated some of my thought processes that have been overly criticized. There is a time for careful deliberation but there is also great value in our gut reaction to some events. And sometimes, too much deliberation can actually cause us to mis-read the big picture.
Facebook User about 1 year ago
I was intrigued by the concept that security personnel can be trained to react calmly & rationally in the midst of trauma by exposing them repeatedly to stimuli (such as gunfire). It made me think that perhaps professional counselors should consider using a similar technique more frequently. Many of us have specific situations that cause emotional or psychological paralysis. Those situations could be simulated repeatedly to desensitize us to them and allow us to respond more objectively
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