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Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking |  | Author: Malcolm Gladwell
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Category: Book
List Price: $15.99
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Seller: so_goodwill
Rating:  1127 reviews
Sales Rank: 152
Media: Paperback
Pages: 320
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.4 x 1
ISBN: 0316010669
Dewey Decimal Number: 153.44
EAN: 9780316010665
ASIN: 0316010669
Publication Date: April 3, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| • | ISBN13: 9780316010665 | | • | Condition: NEW | | • | Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. |
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Product Description
In his #1 bestseller The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell redefined how we understand the world around us. In BLINK, he revolutionizes the way we understand the world within. How do we make decisions--good and bad--and why are some people so much better at it than others? That's the question Malcolm Gladwell asks and answers in BLINK. Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience and psychology, examining case studies as diverse as speed dating, pop music, and the New Coke, Gladwell shows how the difference between good decision making and bad has nothing to do with how much information we can process quickly, but rather with the few particular details on which we focus. BLINK displays all of the brilliance that has made Malcolm Gladwell's journalism so popular and his books such perennial bestsellers as it reveals how all of us can become better decision makers--in our homes, our offices, and in everyday life.
Amazon.com Review
Blink is about the first two seconds of looking--the decisive glance that knows in an instant. Gladwell, the best-selling author of The Tipping Point, campaigns for snap judgments and mind reading with a gift for translating research into splendid storytelling. Building his case with scenes from a marriage, heart attack triage, speed dating, choking on the golf course, selling cars, and military maneuvers, he persuades readers to think small and focus on the meaning of "thin slices" of behavior. The key is to rely on our "adaptive unconscious"--a 24/7 mental valet--that provides us with instant and sophisticated information to warn of danger, read a stranger, or react to a new idea. Gladwell includes caveats about leaping to conclusions: marketers can manipulate our first impressions, high arousal moments make us "mind blind," focusing on the wrong cue leaves us vulnerable to "the Warren Harding Effect" (i.e., voting for a handsome but hapless president). In a provocative chapter that exposes the "dark side of blink," he illuminates the failure of rapid cognition in the tragic stakeout and murder of Amadou Diallo in the Bronx. He underlines studies about autism, facial reading and cardio uptick to urge training that enhances high-stakes decision-making. In this brilliant, cage-rattling book, one can only wish for a thicker slice of Gladwell's ideas about what Blink Camp might look like. --Barbara Mackoff
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 100
 The Master Story Teller March 15, 2010
Robert E. Griswold (Bonita Springs, FL)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
When I was a young man there was late-night disc jockey in Chicago by the name of Sid McCoy who played a lot of Frank Sinatra recordings. He often referred to Sinatra as The Master Story Teller, because Frank's respect for the lyrics and his phrasing were so exquisite that he made you really feel the emotions the songwriter was attempting to convey.
In my opinion, when it comes to non-fiction books, Malcolm Gladwell is The Master Story Teller. In "Blink" he uses his talent for conveying stories, studies, and arguments to help us understand a magical, mysterious thing called judgment. And he asserts that judgment is important because it is what separates winners from losers.
Early in the book Gladwell explains that "Blink" is concerned with the very smallest components of our everyday lives - the content and origin of those instantaneous impressions and conclusions that spontaneously arise whenever we meet a new person or confront a complex situation or have to make a decision under conditions of stress.
He uses a phrase in psychology, thin-slicing, to explain that human beings are often capable of making sense of situations based on the thinnest slice of experience.
Gladwell's primary goal for "Blink" is to accomplish three tasks: 1] To convince us that decisions made very quickly can be every bit as good as those made cautiously and deliberately. 2] Assist us in knowing when we should trust our instincts, and when we should be wary of them. 3] Convince us that our snap judgements and first impressions can be educated and controlled.
The book is replete with fascinating stories and studies that help Gladwell accomplish these tasks. One that I found particularly enlightening, and should be read by every medical doctor, is a revelation about why some doctors are sued for malpractice and others aren't. The answer has nothing to do with the medical skill or training of the physician, but everything to do with the doctor/patient relationships.
It seems that patients don't sue doctors whom they like. In fact, one patient cited chose to sue her internest, even after being informed that it was the radiologist who was potentially at fault. Why? Because she liked the radiologist, and didn't like the internist. I can relate to this because my wife could have sued a doctor for malpractice but chose not to because she liked him.
Related to this is a study described in this book that utilized a mere 40 seconds of recorded conversations of surgeons talking with patients. In these recordings the exact words spoken were filtered out, leaving just the intonation, pitch, and rhythm of the doctors voice but not the content of the conversation. From this judges rated slices of the remaining garble for such qualities as warmth, hostility, dominance, and anxiousness. From that alone it could be determined which surgeons got sued and which ones didn't. Stunning.
There is much more I'd like to share about "Blink" than space allows. If this review captured your interest, by all means read the book.
One last item: Sid McCoy, who also gave the great singer Nancy Wilson the nickname, "The Baby" went on to become the executive producer of the hugely successful TV show, "Soul Train."
Effects of Snap Judgments March 12, 2010
CSPM
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Blink is a great book. This book talks about how we make snap judgments about people and the things that surrounds us. He proposes an idea and supports it with many peer-reviewed research. He does raise questions and provoke the reader to ponder on the issues raised and come up with his or her own conclusion. What amazes me the most about him is that all the ideas in this book is about finding ways to improve our society as a whole. I strongly believe that he is a another version of President Obama that wants to help and improve society as a whole. There is more to this book that will make you step back and think about some of the issues affecting our society today. You must read this book!
 Worst book that I never read March 9, 2010
Buddy Lo (Houston)
Alright, I did start it, but I could not finish it. It was that boring. Don't make a snap judgment though, you should read it for yourself and realize that anyone without a brain can get published these days. A former boss who liked to drink and employ the services of hookers gave our team this as a Christmas gift which were some of the many Blink judgments he made.
 The King of Common Sense March 9, 2010
Ryan Overmyer (Ann Arbor, MI)
After following Gladwell in the New Yorker, and enjoying his most recent work "Tipping Point", I've been eagerly awaiting the release of his newest piece, "Blink". Gladwell is the king of common sense, many of the points he addresses are based on what we already know. But I suppose that's the exact reason I enjoy his work so much. What many of us, not excluding myself, sometimes fail to recognize about the current understanding of the brain and human reactions - Gladwell saturates himself in. Secondly, being a lifelong fan of the Getty - I was pleasantly surprised with his remarkable insights into the museum as well.
A guide to rapid thoughts March 8, 2010
Kylee Craig
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
With the its pages rich in contemplation into the instantaneous decision-making capabilities of the human mind, Malcolm Gladwell's Blink is a great introduction to the art of rapid cognition. Gladwell excels in introducing his theory with major, real-life studies, but also leaves room in his novel for views against his own theory. Through each of the organized chapters of his presentation, Gladwell succeeds in changing the way the reader looks at the world. Towards the end, he even challenges the reader to take the lessons to heart and to make positive changes in their future decisions. The book itself comes through exactly as described: "The power of thinking without thinking." It is the presentation of Gladwell's personal experiences and research that cater to the cause of challenging the reader's view of the world. Having coined certain terms in his theory, such as "the blink", "thin-slicing", and "listening with your eyes", Gladwell's philosophical approach to rapid thought processes is bound to be accepted within the bounds of our society by some point. Overall, this book was a great read and definitely provided great insight into the way people have been thinking without knowing for years.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 100
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