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This book
is in the league of my all time favourites. Malcolm Gladwell's style reminds
me of Daniel Goleman and Robert Cialdini's work. See previous reviews of
their books in the sales archive. Blink is full of real life drama and
fascinating research.
In contrast
to the two accompanying articles, 'Vanishing
Freewill' and 'Don't
Write it Down' which are about forethought, planning, and preparation,
Blink is about the human ability to make correct assessments and effective
decisions based on a very small amount of information. In some of the
research cited by Gladwell, it is called ‘thin-slicing’.
Undeniable
evidence from the work of many scientists and psychologists indicates that
people have pre conscious decision-making processes that are largely
inaccessible to the conscious mind.
Slow motion
video evidence, recorded by John Gottman, Paul Ekman, and others,
demonstrates how people’s expressions declare their emotions with
unsettlingly precision. Documenting the exact muscle movements that
telegraph twenty plus distinct feelings has enabled these pioneers to
compile some startling evidence of human transparency.
Right from
the first pages, I found myself engrossed in the portrayal of actual events
that illustrate the ability of some people to make accurate intuitive leaps
of judgement that seem to demonstrate a sixth sense.
In addition
to numerous and increasingly gripping stories, Gladwell writes about the
research that shows how preconceived ideas, prejudices, and chance
observations can render our pre conscious judgment worse than useless.
Being able
to discern if a thought or feeling is the result of our near infallible pre
conscious judgement or polluted by recent thinking, false beliefs, and
misleading experiences is the illusive prize illuminated in this outstanding
book.
It seems we
don't make up our minds for the reasons we think we do and we don’t have
easy access to the bit our mind that directs our thinking. Don't believe me
- read Blink
ISBN 1-141-01459-8
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