Marks out of ten: 7/10

I read Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking after reading Predictably Irrational, and thought it was on similar lines. It’s central theme is how we make decisions, some of them life or death decisions, in the blink of an eye. Surprisingly, some of our best decisions, Gladwell argues, are made in seconds rather than being carefully and cautiously considered.

When we are able to “thin slice”, we can know without knowing why, that an antique sculpture is a fake, whether a couple will stay together, or if we have met our ideal match during speed-dating. If we trust our instinct, look with our eyes without “mind-blindness” we can make effective decisions very quickly.

In a way, I found the book a justification for my snap decisions. When I make “gut” decisions I sometimes feel like I’ve been a little rash. But in fact, I’ve probably been just a right as I would have done if I’d deliberated for hours, weeks or even months. Sometimes I find indecisiveness so debilitating that I’d rather make the “wrong” decision than not decide at all. What a relief, I may even be right!