Blink

BlinkMalcolm Gladwell

Major Themes of Blink

PsychologyHow we make snap decisionsThin-slicing

Thin-slicing refers to the ability of our unconscious to find patterns in situations and behavior based on very narrow slices of experience Thin-slicing is part of what makes the unconscious so dazzling. (Gladwell 23)

Every chapter a different example of how we thin-slice materialSome topics covered: marriage, War strategy, police men, ancient Greek statues, tennis, speed-dating, etc. Chapters

Van Riper was the bad guys general. Did not have much informationDestroyed 16 ships and 20,000 men on the second morningPaul Van Ripers Big VictoryHow good peoples decisions are under the fast-moving, high-stress conditions of rapid cognition is a function of training and rules and rehearsal. (Gladwell 114)

Red TeamBlue TeamDay 2

Gladwells Portrayal of Military CultureHe criticizes the militarys tactics in the Millennium ChallengeAlso the way that they approached the whole situationPraises Van Riper

I asked, Can I shoot down one V-twenty-two? and he said, No Ive been given guidance by the program director. (Gladwell 145)The World We Live InPeople hate losingPeople are arrogantExcess amounts of information is not always useful

it seems that we would have to gather a lot of information But John Gottman has proven that we dont. (Gladwell 20)What I LearnedThe brain is really powerful and quickSo is our subconsciousSuperfluous information blinds our decisionsOne can learn how to thin-slice and make good snap decisions

The power of knowing, in that first two seconds, is not a gift given magically to a fortunate few. It is an ability that we can all cultivate for ourselves. (Gladwell 16)