The Bookshop Guru
A book review of Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
What makes
us tick? That’s what I was thinking when I chose to read this book. Malcolm
Gladwell’s book is about ‘The power of thinking without thinking’ which delves
into the psyche to explore how we make decisions. Gladwell uses vinaigrette to illustrate the different
concepts discussed in the book.
Why we make
instant decisions in the blink of an eye? Well, because ever since the
evolution of man we have made instant decisions that govern life and death.
Consider how we cross a busy road which goes back to when as cave man we had to
cross the savannah without getting killed. You
have to make thin-slice split second decisions, otherwise you’re road meat. The
same applies then as it does today.
‘As humans
we make the best least informed decisions,’ Gladwell refers to this as
‘thin-slicing’. Gladwell discusses how the tennis pro Vic Braden could
instinctively know when a player was about to double fault. Gladwell states
‘those people with the clipboards were really good at making predictions. I
think he should read ‘Future Babble’ where the opposite is true. Different
stories are told to help reinforce the point, in my opinion, they do overstate
the point. In any case, it doesn’t take much to tell a cat amongst a pack of
dogs.
My
grandfather said, ‘don’t believe what you read in the papers’ and what he meant
was don’t take anything at face value which is what I’ve been doing most of my
life. Gladwell concludes that we can learn to make better decisions by avoiding
our subconscious mind with snap judgements. I think Gladwell misses the point.
Snap judgements or decisions, call it what you like; it’s our bias that often
rules our head not the fact that they are snap decisions or judgements.
Overall, the
book is a good read with a mosaic of stories to keep you reading until you nod
off.
P.S. Sponsored by Madbrokes a comedian on antidepressants.
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In my latest book “It’s Never Too Late” read how dreams do come true, but be careful what you wish for. Understand the secret of greed and you will attain one of the secrets of prosperity. The book will also take you on a journey and explores love, money, luck, and much more.
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Hey, Chuck. Did you bring any spending money? Viva la vida loca.
Conducting Survey into Precognitive Choices
