Blink (Book Review)

I've just finished reading a psychology book entitled Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. The basic gist of the book is to explore our unconscious thoughts. Then Gladwell takes it a step further and pits conscience thought against unconscious thought...which one is better? What I found to be most intriguing is that in many cases, including the battle of Chancellorsville during the Civil War, snap judgments are more effective that having tons of data to sift through. There are several examples throughout the book of instances that our thought process and the deciphering of too much information created a skewed view of things. Often time when we are making decisions, we have an instinctive feeling about what we should do; Blink suggests that we should follow that instinct.

While snap judgments are important to us and can serve a very useful purpose, Gladwell also discusses the darker side of "the heat of the moment". I appreciated that Gladwell did not cram a theory down our throats and just expect us to accept it for what he was saying.

I enjoyed reading this book and suggest it to anyone who likes non-fiction. It was a very easy read, with interesting history splash throughout it!