Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (2005, Hardcover)

You don’t need to read this review. You’ve already made up your mind about the book Blink. You’ve received enough inputs from sources that you trust or don’t trust that your subconscious has already decided whether or not Blink is a good book. If this review agrees with your subconscious, you’ll agree with the review. If this review disagrees with your subconscious, you will attribute my opinions on this book to my incompetence. Why and how did you come to make such a hasty judgement on this book ? “Blink” seeks to answer those questions.

In this latest book, Gladwell (of “Tipping Point” fame) explores “thin slicing”, the theory that we only need a tiny bit of information or exposure to something to make a decision. The genius of Gladwell is that he examines how common people use thin slicing, usually unaware of the fact that they are thin slicing, and that he also examines subject matter experts using thin slicing to practice their chosen art with remarkable accuracy. Some examples of common people unknowingly thin slicing include speed daters who make remarkably sound choices about dating partners and police officers who, in “Matrix” like fashion, slow down time in the heat of a gunfight to make amazing decisions. Great examples of experts who practice thin slicing include the ability of a marriage counselor to determine whether a marriage will succeed or fail with 95% accuracy….based on 30 seconds of conversation between spouses.

It’s a fascinating book that has the potential to change the way you think about your own thoughts and interpret the actions and reactions of those you interact with.