Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

Blink is the second book by author Malcolm Gladwell. It's focus is on thinking we, as humans, do unconsciously in a split second reaction.

The beginning of the book starts having told us how the J. Paul Getty Museum, in 1983, was asked about a kouros statue that was available for purchase. Very few of these such statues are in existence, much less any in such an exceptional state as this. The kouros had a $10 ml asking price. Many experts, when confronted by the statue, had a gut feeling that something was awry. Extensive testing proved the statue was "genuine" but later investigations found how these tests could be fooled. No one knows the authenticity of the statue.

The story that struck me the most was the story of the Guinean immigrant Amadou Diallo of South Bronx. Four NYPD officers in the Street Crime Unit were patrolling in an unmarked car wearing regular clothing, except for 9mm handguns and bulletproof vests, when they happened down Diallo's street. They were suspicious of him, so after driving past, they went back. After a terrible chain of events, the officers fired 41 total shots at him. Gladwell explains how their rapid cognition led them down the wrong path, that is, killing an innocent man.

The basis of the book is that everyone makes snap decisions based on many different factors. Most people don't give these decisions much credit, but, as Gladwell illustrates, they deserve a second look. They can provide insight or construct false assumptions -- both of which carry weight.

Chapters:

1. The Statue That Didn't Look Right


2. The Theory of Thin Slices: How a Little Bit of Knowledge Goes a Long Way


3. The Locked Door: The Secret Life of Snap Decisions


4. The Warren Harding Error: Why We Fall For Tall, Dark, and Handsome Men


5. Paul Van Riper's Big Victory: Creating Structure for Spontaneity


6. Kenna's Dilemma: The Right -- and Wrong -- Way to Ask People What They Want


7. Seven Seconds in the Bronx: The Delicate Art of Mind Reading


8. Listening with Your Eyes: The Lessons of Blink

-Ze Baron