Blink

The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

By: Malcolm Gladwell

Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell

Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

The landmark book that has revolutionized the way we understand leadership and decision making - from number-one best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell.

In his landmark best seller The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell redefined how we understand the world around us. Now, in Blink, he revolutionizes the way we understand the world within. Blink is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant, in the blink of an eye, that actually aren't as simple as they seem. Why are some people brilliant decision makers, while others are consistently inept? Why do some people follow their instincts and win, while others end up stumbling into error? How do our brains really work, in the office, in the classroom, in the kitchen, and in the bedroom? And why are the best decisions often those that are impossible to explain to others?

In Blink we meet the psychologist who has learned to predict whether a marriage will last, based on a few minutes of observing a couple; the tennis coach who knows when a player will double-fault before the racket even makes contact with the ball; the antiquities experts who recognize a fake at a glance. Here, too, are great failures of "blink": the election of Warren Harding; "New Coke"; and the shooting of Amadou Diallo by police. Blink reveals that great decision makers aren't those who process the most information or spend the most time deliberating, but those who have perfected the art of "thin-slicing", filtering the very few factors that matter from an overwhelming number of variables.

Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience and psychology and displaying all of the brilliance that made The Tipping Point a classic, Blink changes the way you understand every decision you make. Never again will you think about thinking the same way.

Don't miss any of Malcolm Gladwell's books, articles, and interviews.

©2005 Malcolm Gladwell (P)2005 Time Warner AudioBooks

Critic reviews

2005 Quill Award Nominee

"Gladwell's groundbreaking explication of a key aspect of human nature is enlightening, provocative, and great fun to read." (Booklist)

"Entertaining and illuminating." (Publishers Weekly)

Excellent!s

I read Outliers many years ago... Gladwell is an excellent writer! His detailed research and his manner of bringing all the stories around for the reader/listener, is captivating. I can't wait to read (or listen to) another of his books.

Even more relevant today than when it was written.

a wonderful series of vignettes on snap judgements: when they are incredibly accurate, when they are disastrously wrong, and how to improve them. while i had objections to a number of the individual conclusions, i found the overall theme and message excellent. particularly in light of BLM

Super Inciteful

This was an awesome book. Very thought provoking. Malcolm Gladwell is not only a good author but his read of the book was very good.

Beauty

Loved it! Every part except the military political ideals, I've lived that way before and really don't want to re live it. other than that, incredible insight about things and ideas I think about regularly and putting terms to these thought processes. Fell in love listening to this audio book on Freeway driving trips, in Automotile University!

insightful, inspiring and witty book

insightful, inspiring and witty book, which might act as a great starting point for cognitive researchers

Malcolm Gladwell Provides Yet Another Fascinating Book

Sadly, ‘Blink’ was the last of Gladwell’s books that I have not read/listened to so now I will have to wait until the Fall for his new book! I got chills as the author read the final phrases in this book. I just love learning from Gladwell’s research and observations! I wish Gladwell’s works were required reading/listening for the entire human race! It seems if everyone could stop and think about things in the manner that Gladwell does, the citizens of this world would certainly get along far better than we all do now.

As far as production, I did not prefer the music overlays throughout the book.

Easy listen and useful information for everyone

This book is thoughtful and interesting. It may change how you think about first impressions. Or it may simply provide a useful reminder of their importance. It is well worth the listen for anyone interested in how the unconscious mind affects our decisions.

Little Insights with Large Impacts

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. Life involves a lot of decisions about complex systems, and it often requires the decisions to be made rapidly. This book explores the ways quick decision making works, when and how it has advantages over slow contemplation, and the potential pitfalls to thin slicing. I can reasonably say that it applies to some meaningful extent to anyone.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Because this is a non-fiction work about cognition, it is rather thin on characters. But the fellows who have deconstructed facial movements and attributed their components to emotions are really interesting.

What does Malcolm Gladwell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

It is refreshing when I get to hear the author's real voice. He definitely has a cadence and dynamism for narration.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

I especially like the discussion of learning more about a person by studying their apartment for 15 minutes than by spending lots of time over a year talking with them.

Good read

Really liked it. Would recommend David and Goliath or one of his other ones first though

Required Reading!

Experiencing Blink will leave one confronted with the limitations of a singular perspective and challenged to look at world in a new way...