Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking is the second book written by Malcolm Gladwell, after his bestseller “the tipping point”. This book is all about how spontaneous judgements can turn out to be more effective than cautious decisions.
The author talks about our “adaptive unconscious” that can judge an individual or the outcome of a situation in a span of two seconds. There is also a discussion of the “theory of thin slices” according to which that it is possible to judge the behaviour patterns of those whom we meet in our lives, fairly quickly.Several cases where snap judgements turn out to be effective have also been listed in the book. For example the art expert, Thomas Hoving can identify a reputed Kudos sculpture to be a fake, with just a cursory glance.
Accurate predictions
A psychiatrist in two seconds can identify our emotions. On listening to a conversation between a couple, a marriage analyst can predict whether they’ll stay together or not. The author has also provided us thought-provoking exercises, where we can identify if we are unconsciously biased or not.
Even though this book is based on certain psychological concepts, it can enthral readers.
After analysing the cases of success and failure that emerge out of quick decision-making, at the end of the book, the writer illustrates the case of a musician, Julie Landsman, who was judged as the best French horn artist, right after a small piece played by her.
He ends the book well with the quote: “When the screen created a pure blink moment, a small miracle happened, the kind of small miracle that is always possible when we take charge of the first two seconds: they saw her for who she truly was”.So, those who like to think within a blink, can begin their journey with this book!
Title: Blink: the Power of Thinking without Thinking
Author: Malcom Gladwell
Publisher: Penguin
Price: Rs. 295
Nithya has just completed I Year BBA at Manipal University, Dubai.
