Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

320 pages Trade Paperback (Non-Fiction)
Blink is a very interesting book that focuses on the power of our subconscious. Specifically, it focuses on the ability of our brain to do fantastic calculations in the blink of an eye. He refers to this split second decision making as “thin-slicing”.

The book starts out with an example that was very intriguing to me. The Getty museum is looking to buy a famous Greek warrior sculpture known as a kouros. They take it and study it and test it and check its paperwork and eventually buy the work for millions of dollars. They have an opening show to display this newly displayed work. It is supposedly been in a private collection for a hundred years. They invite renown Greek sculpture experts. At the unveiling the experts, within seconds of seeing it, conclude the work is a fake. Further investigation into the history of the ownership seem to show it is a fake. How is it that scientists can study a work for months and not see what experts can see in a few seconds? That is what the book proposes to find out.

Gladwell continues to bring up many examples of our subconscious at work. We look at marriage counselors being able to predict marriage outcomes from one session, gamblers bodies knowing how a game is working before their conscious mind does, a closer look at speed dating and how the Pepsi challenge was really set up in Pepsi’s favor. These and many other examples give the reader a closer look at how our mind can help us, but it can also trick us.

The book is broken up into chapters that focus on our subconscious and conscious mind. It also looks at the different ways in which we use that and how it works against us. Our society prides itself on the amount of information we have at our fingertips, yet sometimes we function better with less. It was easy to get into and I found it very compelling. I was constantly looking for a chance to pick it up and read a bit more.

5 Intellectual/Emotional: This book is a perfect example of a fully intellectual book, but since it tackles a subject important to all, it has an emotional element as well.

3 Style/Readability: For the most part this book is very easy to get involved in. Everyone would find something of interest. That said, most would find something they don’t care about as well.

3 Long Term Impact: Blink’s ability to inspire others and draw their attention to how our brain works is very real. Plus, the information here is always going to be worthwhile.

11 out of 13 and well deserved. I think most anyone would enjoy this book. Give it a read.

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