Book Review: Blink

I’ve finally finished my book! So proud of myself.

My new year's resolution was to read one book! Now I've finished three!

Ok.

Fine.

Maybe my goals are set at low - at least i'm an over achiever :P

But seriously , I thoroughly enjoyed reading: Blink - The Power of Thinking Without Thinking.

I picked up this paperback from Borders. I had no clue what a good book was so I scooted over to the best seller shelf. Surely the millions of readers of these books couldn't be all wrong.

Oddly, of all titles there, Blink had something that appealed to me.

Maybe it was the simplicity of the cover, the baby blue and pink fonts or the catchy title. There was something about this book that drew me and I couldn't figure it out.

And that was precisely what the book was about!

Malcolm Gladwell explains why we behave in such ways during the first few seconds when doing something.

It could be when we meet someone or taste something or drive a new car. He claims our brains have already gone through lots of processing and decisions have already been made - and we didn't even know it!

He explains that our instinctive first reaction is right….. most of the time.

We just need to be aware of our limitations and the pitfalls of prejudice and discrimination.

As a demonstration - sit by a busy street and look at the faces of the people passing by. You’ll only need one second to decide if someone is attractive or not. In that one second your brain has already analysed so much about that person - the eyes, hair, freckles, nose rings, spacial features. Yet it will take you a little while longer to 'consciously' notice all the features you dislike.

Heres another example. You're out shopping and someone presents you a shirt or top. Straight away you say - 'nope' i don't like it. Then they say 'how come?' ONLY then do you consciously have to think about why you don't like it.

And not just that.

You know sometimes when you get this awful feeling that something is wrong. Like you’re driving away from the house and you get this nagging feeling that something is not right.

The unaccessible super computer part of your brain that does clockwork, routine calculations is saying "hang on, wait a minute.... somethings amiss here. Based on what I know and experience, there's suppose to be something here... .... "

You weren’t thinking about things that you forgot, but there was just that nagging feeling.

Something in you was thinking about what you just did.
So you were thinking without thinking.

Only then do you realise that you forgot to wear underwear.