By: Malcolm Gladwell
Speed Reading Stats
Speed Reading Stats (h:mm:ss)
1st Read: 0:05:19, 15,685 words/minute
2nd & 3rd Read: 0:04:00, 20,848 words/minute
Mind Map Stats (h:mm:ss)
1:32:12
Total Time: (h:mm:ss)
1:51:30
5 "Must Take-Aways" (MTAs)
- Adaptive unconscious. The amazing power of the mind that allows people to respond to situations instantly, like swerving to avoid hitting a deer while driving. Most people have this ability. It can get better with training, experiences, and practice.
- Thin-slicing. The unconscious mind’s ability to find the underlying patterns of situations and behaviors. In essence, the ability to inherently understand when something is “wrong” with something/someone; to read minuscule body language, such as facial reactions, to know how someone is feeling; and to respond under high-pressure, high-stress, rapid-response situations.
- Snap judgments. These are the decisions make in seconds, such as whether someone is a threat to you or someone is lying. These decisions are made very fast with a minimal amount of information. They rely on your past experiences and situations. Pause a second (literally, just a second) in your snap judgments to try to control for your personal stereo-types and prejudices.
- More information does NOT mean better decisions. When large amounts of information are provided, people often stop listening to their “gut” (i.e. unconscious mind) to rely on their conscious mind.
- Unconscious Thinking CAN be improved. The brain can improve its functioning with training and new experiences. If you are not that good at thin-slicing and snap judgments, you can get better with exposure to new experiences that will correct old stereo-types and prejudices.
This is my first Malcolm Gladwell book. Gladwell’s writing
is very effortless to read. He engages the reader with stories in the beginning
of the chapters and incorporates his theories in the later part of the
chapters. There is an underlying theme to the book, which Gladwell builds upon
slowly and with grace. Blink is an interesting look into the ability of the mind
to process information and make instantaneous decisions. You know those times
when you think to yourself “why does that look off”, “Something isn’t right
here”, or “that person I just met didn’t seem to like me even though they were
nice to me”? We have all been there. Decisions made in the blink of an eye are
life altering. Ta da! Get it…“decisions made in the blink of an eye”…name of
the book “Blink”. Good, you’re
following me.
Our adaptive unconscious mind has the ability to respond,
size up, and react to situations within seconds (Gladwell’s term “thin-slicing”).
The brain has the ability to detect patterns of behaviors and events based upon
past experiences and environments (Gladwell’s term “snap judgments”). The
fascinating aspect of thin-slicing and snap judgments is that less information
is more. Yeah, you read that correctly. Having more information can override
the mind’s ability to respond under high-pressure, high-stress, rapid-response
situations. The good news is that you, yes you, can improve your mind’s
thin-slicing and snap judgment ability through new experiences and training. How
do you ask? Well, I don’t know. Gladwell doesn’t go into detail on how to do that
in this book.
"Brilliant Articulate Mind
Maps" (BAMM)
Gladwell, M. (2005). Blink: The
Power of Thinking Without Thinking (p. 296). New York, NY: Back Bay Books.
ISBN: 978-0-316-17232-5.
