I reread this after realizing I couldn't remember enough to compare with Kahneman`s book. They are mostly aligning, only Kahneman suggests against making snap judgements and relying more on evidence whereas Gladwell gives views from both sides and stays impartial.

Blink is about unconscious decision making. Our unconscious side is fascinating, because it seems to be the one that holds the strings most of the time; making very fast decisions, watching out for any threat to our existence. However when our drives (the motivators of unconscious) are in conflict, ourrational mind is quick to get in. The rational mind is also there to make corrections, and making plans.

So it seems that mostly we are on autopilot for unimportant things, and also when we have to do something at lightening speed. But at other times even if there is an urge to act instinctively, one should act relying on data rather than on instinct.

Audiobook read by the author. I'm going to keep this review short but I'm going to say it is an easy read and definitely worth reading. Basically, it is about the information our brains and subconscious process in the 'blink' of an eye. It's surprising how our subconscious knows what is happening in a scenario before we do. Gladwell provided many different scenarios and anecdotal stories throughout the book that were fascinating and eye-opening. It's sad to learn that we all are quick to judge and have many different stereotypes imbedded in our subconscious and conscious. The author's own anecdotal story of when he grew his hair out and the things that happened to him as a result is crazy. And he just had longer hair. So imagine all the other factors that play into someone's appearance and the quick judgements our subconscious starts to make.

But this book isn't just about stereotypes. I also found the section on analyzing married couples fascinating. An expert (I forget his name) is able to 'thin slice' a couple's interaction with each other and can tell with 90% accuracy if they will stay married or not. Maybe this would be a good tool for counselors and therapists to learn before couples get married? Definitely recommend. 4 stars.

Both "Blink" and "The Tipping Point" are nonfiction writings that deal with social structures and human tendancies and the unassuming look at these.
"Tipping" is more a look at society on a large scale. It has to do with trends: what makes something popular and who is involved in that process and why it works. This isn't a look at advertising or corporate businesses (although the does look at those, too) but rather a journey into the dynamics and parts of these trends. It's an intriguing and well written book, ideal for anyone who wants to know how social trends work. It has pracitcal applications as well, if you have any desire to make social changes yourself.

"Blink" is more on a personal level, and looks at how our subconcious works and how important it is in our daily life and daily choices. This book is amazing, and I highly recommend it for everyone. "Tipping" is really interesting and carries some amazing social insights, but only applies directly to those who wish to institute change, "Blink" on the other hand is a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered why they make the split-second decisions they make and whether they're good or bad. Which I hope is everyone.

Malcolm Gladwell has an amazing way of writing as though he was chatting over a cup of coffee. His books are full of amazing insight, research, and profound ideas that revolutionize the world we live it, but there is never a point that you feel lost, like these ideas are only something the smart kids can truly understand.
Another thing I truly enjoy is his absolute lack of preachieness. His opinions are strongly stated, but never forced on you.

Fascinating book! I would describe Blink as promoting self-awareness more than self-help. It's a captivating exploration of the ability of our unconscious minds to accurately(much of the time)read the world around us. The psychological studies featured offered refreshing evidence that it isn't always in our best interest to slow down and think rationally. I wouldn't base an investment strategy on Gladwell's "thin-slicing" methods, but when it comes to matters of life and death, love, trust and marriage, oh, and battle tactics, Blink makes a convincing argument to "go with our gut."

1 Star - Horrible book.

Against my better judgement I gave another one of Malcolm Gladwell's books a try. Oh, what precious reading time I wasted on this book! My feelings on this book are quite similar to how I felt about The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (my review) so I'll keep this review short.

My first thought after finishing this was: did I really just read 200+ pages on what is essentially the good and bad of gut reactions? There was nothing new for me here and that may not entirely be Gladwell's fault but nevertheless I could not enjoy this book. In addition to my lack of interest in the subject matter, I cannot enjoy the author's writing style. I feel he meanders and that there are so many unfinished thoughts and ideas. It drove me crazy!

By the end of the book I was frustrated and upset. I recommend this book to no one.

SO GOOOOOD! and Malcolm Gladwell excels again and again.
Just the type of books I like it's under psychology type because it explains the subconsciousness but it's so good not boring because everything is explained with daily examples.
10 stars out of 5!!!!

This book explores the way people make decisions, particularly snap judgments, which are based on the unconscious mind. The author speaks to the importance of the first two seconds of any encounter, pointing out examples of where access to more information leads to less optimal decisions. He offers a number of case studies to support his assertions. These studies include such wide-ranging topics as the election of Warren G. Harding, the New Coke debacle, war games, orchestra auditions, police shootings, and authenticity of works of art. He shows how these first impressions can be distorted, especially in stressful situations. He explains how quick decisions can be improved through repeated exposures.

The author obviously loves his subject, and he occasionally goes overboard in providing detail. For example, he covers facial recognition patterns down to the names of the muscles in the face. Unlike some of his other books, it is harder to figure out how to bring these concepts down to an individual level. I always enjoy finding out more about how the human mind works.

Exciting cutting edge neuroscience and psychology pitched at a level designed to drop a layman’s jaw!

BLINK is about first impressions, unconscious thought, data accumulation at a glance, snap judgments and spontaneous, instantaneous high-speed decision making!

In the first chapter, Gladwell summarizes his threefold purpose of writing the book. His first purpose was to convince readers that high speed decisions can be “every bit as good as decisions made cautiously and deliberately.” His second purpose was to demonstrate that when those snap judgments and first impressions go off the rails, they do so for a very specific set of quite understandable reasons that are obvious enough on their face to allow decision makers to be on their guard when necessary. Gladwell’s final objective, obviously I dare say, was to convince readers that learning the difference and developing the skill of harking to those snap judgments when it’s appropriate to do so is a learnable skill.

From first page to last, Gladwell’s descriptions of the science, the psychological tests that were used to bolster the scientific conclusions and the anecdotal examples of instances where snap judgments took the day or, ultimately, failed miserably were, in a word, gripping.

For instance, Gladwell’s description of the degree to which facial movements are inextricably linked to emotions is mind-blowing. I dare you to NOT stop and shake your head in dumbfounded amazement when you read, “The face is not a secondary billboard for our internal feelings. It is an equal partner in the emotional process.” Think about that for just a second. Facial expressions not only reflect emotions that already exist. They can create emotions and enhance or depress already existing feelings. You certainly won’t be hearing me expressing any disbelief when I read about a canny detective’s ability to pick up on kinesic “tells” about lying or information withholding during an interrogation any more.

BLINK has lots and lots of succulent meat to chew on – recognition of forged artwork; wartime leadership and decision-making in the heat of battle; the differences between normal perception and autistic perception; judging on appearance; why Coca-Cola made the spectacularly flawed decision to create New Coke; a policeman’s near instantaneous decision to shoot a suspect; and much, much more.

Highly recommended (and THAT, by the way, was NOT a snap decision!)

Paul Weiss

I find this book to say very little in the end, at least, little that is useful or that I can apply. We make split-second judgements. Some people more accurately than others. This does not always mean what we think it means.

Okay....

I guess when the subtitle of a book has the words "power" and "thinking" in it ("The Power of Thinking Without Thinking"), I expect to gain something from it. Instead I feel like the author explains all the reasons why we should not be relying on snap judgements, despite the fact that some of the time, they are right. I don't find "some" to be very useful. If a person can't rely on first impressions, or what the author refers to as "thin slice" representations of performance or taste, what good is there in talking about it at all?

Then I started thinking about why I read this book in the first place. When the new president of the university where I work started, he talked extensively about Malcolm Gladwell. He referenced this book as well as Outliers. I felt like if I read them, I would understand where he was coming from, and some of the changes he has been making. I have to admit that knowing how much of a decision people make in that first moment could have an impact on how a place is marketed. Even if first impressions don't necessarily become our opinions later on, they still have the power to make a decision in a person's mind, for better or for worse.

Still, I'm not sure how you can make that work for you. Is it better to be super-sweet Pepsi that people prefer at the first sip, or more popular Coca-Cola which people are more likely to drink an entire bottle/can of, and make a repeat purchase of? I'd rather be Coke. Can you manufacture enough of a Pepsi experience and then also be Coke? That sounds dangerous to me, because I'm not sure you can be both.

"People are ignorant of the things that affect their actions, yet they rarely feel ignorant. We need to accept our ignorance and say 'I don't know' more often."

"How good people's decisions are under the fast-moving, high-stress conditions of rapid cognition is a function of training and rules and rehearsal."

Gladwell does seem to be saying that if you understand the limitations of snap-judgments, you can train yourself to try to lessen bias, prejudice, and incorrect assumptions. It seems to me that the bigger trick is understanding when and how you are doing this to begin with. Write me a book about how to do that, Mr. Gladwell.

Basically: trust your instincts because your subconscious understands things your conscious takes a while to put in words.

3.5 stars.
Review to come.
It wasn;t upto the mark as I had expected.

Gladwell shares intriguing examples of the role of the unconscious in making decisions. He tells of the surprising accuracy of snap judgments, and how people’s experiences greatly influence their decisions, despite their unawareness. Many of his stories are fascinating, but his slow, winding way of telling them is frustrating. I wanted to shout, “I get the point! Move on!” I didn’t like this book as much as Outliers (read my review), but I wasn’t as interested in this topic as the subject of Outliers (achieving success).

I really liked the investigation into how ignorant people are of the factors that affect their decisions. One of my favorite sections was about how people perceive food to taste better or worse based on the food’s branding and packaging. Gladwell also shows that, counter-intuitively, too much information or too many choices inhibit judgements, because they become distracting. This idea is also explored in Nudge (read my review), which I highly recommend.

I had heard of this book before, but finally decided to read it after Brendon Sinclair recommended it in the The Web Design Business Kit 2.0 from SitePoint. In the kit, Brendon explains that web designers need to design websites that make great first impressions and are simple enough to facilitate quick, unconscious decisions.

Gladwell shows that snap judgments can be quite accurate because of thin slicing; the brain is able to get a “read” on a person or object based on a very short exposure to them. Of first impressions, he says that “sometimes we can know more about someone or something in the blink of an eye than after months of study.”

We make judgments based on our experiences and situations, so prejudice and stereotypes can lead us astray. To minimize their effects, Gladwell suggests that we change our experiences. For example, by spending more time with the people against whom we’re prejudiced, we can retrain our brains to overcome the prejudice.