Comments on: To Think or to Blink? http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/08/04/to-think-or-to-blink/ Brain Fitness and Cognitive Health news Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:58:08 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Barbara http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/08/04/to-think-or-to-blink/comment-page-1/#comment-178709 Barbara Sun, 10 Aug 2008 00:43:38 +0000 http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/08/04/to-think-or-to-blink/#comment-178709 I was thinking more along the lines of the organic reasons for deciding quickly or for taking time to think. This decision is covered more in my post "Fight or Flight". I was thinking more along the lines of the organic reasons for deciding quickly or for taking time to think. This decision is covered more in my post “Fight or Flight”.

]]> By: Alvaro http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/08/04/to-think-or-to-blink/comment-page-1/#comment-178204 Alvaro Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:58:59 +0000 http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/08/04/to-think-or-to-blink/#comment-178204 Hello Michael, my impression is that Madeleine did in fact read the book...so why don't we just debate the case itself? I see the value in both Blink and Think, and see merit in helping people understand when to use each mode of decision-making, and how to sharpen both. Your thoughts? Hello Michael, my impression is that Madeleine did in fact read the book…so why don’t we just debate the case itself?

I see the value in both Blink and Think, and see merit in helping people understand when to use each mode of decision-making, and how to sharpen both.

Your thoughts?

]]> By: Madeleine Van Hecke http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/08/04/to-think-or-to-blink/comment-page-1/#comment-178028 Madeleine Van Hecke Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:38:20 +0000 http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/08/04/to-think-or-to-blink/#comment-178028 To me, Blink’s main point is that often our seat of the pants decisions are as good as, or better than, analytical thinking. Gladwell’s second important points are that intuitive decisions are most likely to be correct a) when we’re not under great emotional stress and 2) when those decisions are essentially based on “implicit” knowledge, especially “expert” knowledge that is derived from a great deal of experience in a particular field. Gladwell also agrees that there are times when our quick decisions lead to terrible results. The major criticism I have of Gladwell is that he never comes to grips with the question: When should you take more time to think and analyze, and when might it be crucial to stop and think? How would you know when to trust those intuitions? He promises to help readers become better at intuitive thinking, but the only advice Blink has about that is to avoid making quick decisions in intensely emotional situations, and (this one is more implied that stated) to increase your expertise so that you’ll have that base of expert knowledge to inform your intuitions. I really enjoyed Blink; Gladwell is a great storyteller who can take sometimes dry research and translate it into interesting tidbits, and as I said I think Blink is an excellent antidote to the attitude that logically-minded people sometimes have in which they denigrate any decisions not derived from a syllogism. But I stand by my main point which is that people need something more than encouragement to trust their intuitions while giving a passing nod to the pitfalls of quick decisions. What I’ve done in Blind Spots, which is a psychology self-help type of book to help people become better thinkers, is to provide that something more. To me, Blink’s main point is that often our seat of the pants decisions are as good as, or better than, analytical thinking. Gladwell’s second important points are that intuitive decisions are most likely to be correct a) when we’re not under great emotional stress and 2) when those decisions are essentially based on “implicit” knowledge, especially “expert” knowledge that is derived from a great deal of experience in a particular field. Gladwell also agrees that there are times when our quick decisions lead to terrible results. The major criticism I have of Gladwell is that he never comes to grips with the question: When should you take more time to think and analyze, and when might it be crucial to stop and think? How would you know when to trust those intuitions? He promises to help readers become better at intuitive thinking, but the only advice Blink has about that is to avoid making quick decisions in intensely emotional situations, and (this one is more implied that stated) to increase your expertise so that you’ll have that base of expert knowledge to inform your intuitions. I really enjoyed Blink; Gladwell is a great storyteller who can take sometimes dry research and translate it into interesting tidbits, and as I said I think Blink is an excellent antidote to the attitude that logically-minded people sometimes have in which they denigrate any decisions not derived from a syllogism. But I stand by my main point which is that people need something more than encouragement to trust their intuitions while giving a passing nod to the pitfalls of quick decisions. What I’ve done in Blind Spots, which is a psychology self-help type of book to help people become better thinkers, is to provide that something more.

]]> By: Michael http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/08/04/to-think-or-to-blink/comment-page-1/#comment-177940 Michael Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:24:52 +0000 http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/08/04/to-think-or-to-blink/#comment-177940 "Is thoughtful reflection necessarily better than hasty judgments(sic)? Not according to Malcolm Gladwell who argued in his best-selling book, Blink, that the decisions people make in a blink are often not only just as accurate, but MORE accurate, than the conclusions they draw after painstaking analysis." Er, did you read 'Blink' and particularly the last half of the book before you wrote this article? At least you pay some passing lip service to Gladwell's actual point, but most of this article seems to be less of an argument against Gladwell and more of an argument with Artie McStrawman. Too bad, as I'm sure you're making some valid points and are an intelligent person, but your style of argument has really lost me as a potential reader. “Is thoughtful reflection necessarily better than hasty judgments(sic)?

Not according to Malcolm Gladwell who argued in his best-selling book, Blink, that the decisions people make in a blink are often not only just as accurate, but MORE accurate, than the conclusions they draw after painstaking analysis.”

Er, did you read ‘Blink’ and particularly the last half of the book before you wrote this article?

At least you pay some passing lip service to Gladwell’s actual point, but most of this article seems to be less of an argument against Gladwell and more of an argument with Artie McStrawman.

Too bad, as I’m sure you’re making some valid points and are an intelligent person, but your style of argument has really lost me as a potential reader.

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