Make a Great Decision in Just One “Blink”
I overthink a lot when it comes to make a decision. I could spend quite a long time thinking about it, even for such a simple choice. My mom said that when I was 7, I could sit in front of the cake display window for nearly an hour just to decide which cake worth to buy. I always try to find all the information I can get to analyze the pros and cons of each option. The quality of decision is related to the time and effort that I put into making it, I assumed. The problem is that after I got a lot of information, I feel like I’ve progressed in decision-making process. In reality, they often leave me even more confused and too exhausted to take the next step — picking a choice. If you feel the same way, let me tell you, Blink is written for people like us.
Written by Malcolm Gladwell, Blink reveals how the two seconds when we see something can significantly impact our desicion-making. This is because our subconscious ability provides understanding in those two seconds or in a blink of our eyes (rapid cognition). Gladwell called it “the ability to think without thinking”. People refer to it as intuition. In fact, Gladwell argues that desicion made quickly can be just as effective as those made cautiously, which rejects my previous way of thinking. He proved how powerful our subconscious mind is with his research into several case stories. The first case he wrote was about a professional art curator who could identify a fake artwork just by looking at it for a moment. John Gottman, a psychologist, can observe and listen to a couple’s conversation for just a few seconds and then predict whether they will last or divorce. Gladwell also wrote that the IAT (Implicit Associaion Test) and the case of the election of the United States president, Werren Harding, can reveal the unconscious biases that influence our decisions. There are actually still many interesting cases discussed by Gladwell in his book.
However, our rapid cognition or intuition has a dark side, where they can go wrong in helping us make decisions. This explains why some people regret following their instincts and intuitions. Here’s the explanation, is the subconscious of a curator, psychologist, or anyone formed out of thin air? Of course not. All the cases in the book reveal how our subconscious can be shaped through learning and conditioning. Our intuition comes from those experiences that may be filled with bias and false information, so it’s crucial to be cautious about the biases we carry. This is highlighted in cases of the IAT test and Werren Harding Error. Rapid cognition or someone’s intuition can’t be always perfect.
At this point, I was able to get some points from Blink.
Major tips for making great decision :
1. Trust your intuition
These days people tend to assume that thinking rationally is the only right and effective path. However, our subconscious mind often processes information faster and more accurately to help us make informed decisions. Blink really reminds us to give right to our intuition that we sometimes find illogical. That’s why great decisions are often hard to explain to others.
2. Balance intentional and intuitive thinking
While rapid cognition can be powerful, it’s prominent to know when to reflect on crucial desicions. Sometimes we are indeed faced with complex choices that must be considered the consequences and of course rapid cognition might not be appropriate for those. When we’re not being able to find of all the facts, intuition comes to have a role. Combining both approaches leads to more balanced decisions.
3. Opt for information efficiency, not overload
Each option has several basic patterns that can be identified. Bombarding ourselves with an abundance of information actually makes it difficult for us to understand their pattern. So, we must be wise in sorting out which information is important for us to reference, Gladwell called thin-slicing. Choose information that is truly relevant to the pattern or desicion we are seeking.
4. Beware of our biases
Biases often involves favoring or disfavoring certain groups or individuals based on preconceived notions, stereotypes, or personal beliefs. While biases are not inherently negative, they can become problematic when they result in unfair or discriminatory behaviour. Our biases can influence our judgements to lead into flawed decision. By being aware of our biases, we can reflect on and acknowledge biases that may influence our judgement. We need to filter information from books, movies, and other things that make up our experience and knowledge because they are the ones that will form the subconscious.
5. Continue to learn and become special in a field
Like the cases recounted in Blink, becoming an expert in a field helps shape your subconscious for making accurate snap judgments. Continuing to learn to become an expert in a field can also help us to be more skilled and confident to make desicions.
Actually, there are still many positive points from this book that we can apply. I just take the points that I underline for decision-making process. Basically, Blink assumes that :
people who are great at making decisions are not the ones who process more information or spend more time, but the ones who train themselves to perfect thin slicing — filtering a mountain of information into as few of the most important factors as possible.
Blink really taught me what I needed. I still try to consistently apply some of the points I took from Blink. I start with simple choices like picking lunch or snacks. Trust me, some people including me really took a long time to think about it. I also try to apply it to other decision-making in my daily life. Of course, reading Blink alone won’t be enough to really hone my decision-making skills. There are still many books that I can read and implement. However, I can say Blink is a solid starting point and worth the read.
Selamat merekah!
