“Blink”: A Book On Trusting Your Gut Feeling

A popular and entertaining read on decision-making (not to be taken as scientific research)

Malcolm Gladwell is a household name in non-fiction literature. Today’s book is his 2005 work, “Blink. The Power of Thinking Without Thinking”.

“Blink” refers to the first impression — our “gut feeling” — formed within the first few seconds of encountering something or someone.

Gladwell argues that decisions made in an instant — in a blink — can be just as good, if not better, than those made after long, cautious consideration. In fact, having too much information can sometimes hinder the quality of a decision.

Gladwell refers to such snap decisions as thin-slicing and argues that their accuracy is rooted in evolution. In certain situations, our brains are trained to make quick judgements, filtering out less relevant information.

At the same time, first impressions are heavily influenced by our experiences and environment, which is where bias and discrimination come into play. Gladwell cites numerous studies showing how women or specific groups are discriminated against, in seemingly neutral situations.

Fast decisions can also be problematic in high-pressure, lack of time situations. All this creates a dilemma as to when we should and shouldn’t trust our gut feeling.

Gladwell doesn’t offer a concrete answer to this question. He argues that sometimes, knowing less is more beneficial. For example, the negative side of first impressions were reduced when orchestras in Europe — and later the U.S. — implemented blind auditions, leading to an increase in female admissions from 5% to 50%.

“Blink” is an entertaining read, though it has been criticized for not being a rigorous representation of a scientific research of the topics it covers. It’s best approached as a journalistic essay rather than a research work. That said, it can be a good starting point for exploring basic concepts of decision-making.

Fun fact: I’ve listened to a podcast with Malcolm where he mentioned that with each new book, he tries to contradict his previous one — and that’s a beautiful approach, always questioning your own assumptions and beliefs is a great way to grow.

I don’t post book reviews without a beer recommendation — why would I?

Today’s beer is a pale ale from The Black Isle, a Highlands-based brewery. We had it during our weekend trip to the Inverness area, and it really surprised me — crisp, fruity, and refreshing ale.

We also passed by the brewery itself — it’s actually a small farmhouse in the Black Isle area that’s been converted into brewery. Lovely concept!