Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking is a book about the subjects of psychology, decision-making, split-second reactions, and the subconscious mind. The author, Malcolm Gladwell, uses his own research as well as stories and experiences from other professionals to convey his message to the audience.
I think Gladwell did a great job of presenting his message in a clear manner. The stories helped connect the facts presented in the book to real life situations. Also, some of the statements in the book caused me to think about how these topics are applicable to my life.
“We live in a world that assumes that the quality of a decision is directly related to the time and effort that went into making it...We believe that we are always better off gathering as much information as possible and depending on as much time as possible in deliberation. We really only trust conscious decision-making. But there are moments, particularly in times of stress, when haste does not make waste, when our snap judgments and first impressions can offer a much better means of making sense of the world. The first task of Blink is to convince you of a simple fact: decisions made very quickly can be every bit as good as decisions made cautiously and deliberately.” This quote sums up a major theme of the book; the quality of decisions should not be based on how much time they take to make.
There were many aspects I liked about this book. My favorite part was the stories he told about people’s lives. The stories covered a diverse range of topics, which kept the book interesting. Another part of the book I enjoyed was how Gladwell tied all of the topics and stories together throughout the entire book. In my opinion, there was only one negative aspect of the book. Sometimes a story would stop abruptly and then pick up in a later part of the chapter.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is in high school or older. Middle school children might be overwhelmed with the large amount of content and deep thinking. High school students should be able to grasp the concepts Gladwell presents in this book. I would especially recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a career in psychology, medicine, or business.
I think anyone would enjoy this book in the age group I previously suggested because it is extremely relatable to everyday topics and issues. Everyone makes decisions in life and many of them require a quick reaction to an event. Both men and women should enjoy this book because the book gives an insight into the differences between each gender.
I had some personal connections to the decision-making parts of the book, as I have had to make some major decisions in my life before. I learned many new things about how the brain works in accord with making decisions. Overall, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking was an eye-opening and informational book.