Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

Gladwell, Malcolm. (2005). New York: Little, Brown & Co.
262 pages.

Review by Stuart Brown
StudentAffairs.com LLC
Stuart@StudentAffairs.com

Posted: March, 2005     Student Affairs Online, vol. 6 no. 1 - Winter 2005

You have just escorted a job candidate to your small card table in the ballroom interview area at one of the large national student affairs conferences (ACPA, NASPA, etc.). As you exchange pleasantries you subconsciously begin to evaluate the applicant, making a preliminary judgment, in the blink of an eye, on their suitability for the position.

These first few moments of processing we engage in are the basis for the captivating new book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell. Blink deals with our adaptive unconscious, "the giant computer that quickly and quietly processes a lot of data we need to function" (p. 11). Gladwell also introduces other concepts including thin slicing which he describes as "the ability of our unconscious to find patterns in situations and behaviors based on very narrow slices of experience" (p. 23).

The author underscores these ideas with numerous examples drawn from scientific research and real life scenarios. In one such experiment researchers had friends of college students spend 15 minutes in their room ranking, on a scale of 1 to 5, such attributes as etraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness to new experiences. No other information or instructions were given to the undergraduates except to soak up the surroundings for the allotted amount of time. Afterwards, complete strangers were given the same task. For the first two traits the friends had a higher score, but for the last three the persons with no connection to the college students scored higher. Why? Through thin slicing they were able to accurately gauge these attributes by merely studying the contents of the space. Their data collection was not tainted or influenced by their friendship with the room's occupant. Wouldn't it be ideal if we could occupy the living area of job applicants for 15 minutes? The type of information gathered might give us a more accurate picture of the person than a mere 15 minute face-to-face interview in a crowded hotel ballroom.

Gladwell, a staff writer for The New Yorker, has three central themes in the book. First, "decisions made very quickly can be every bit as good as decisions made cautiously and deliberately" (p. 14). Second, we need to recognize "when we should trust our instincts and when we should be wary" (p. 15). Third, "first impressions and snap judgments can be controlled" (p. 15).

Gladwell punctuates each point with an eclectic array of examples. These include the rigorous analysis required before a major museum art purchase, the labored gestations behind the design and manufacture of a new office chair, the unpredictability of personnel operating war games, and even the failure of New Coke.

The subject matter of Blink may seem esoteric and an uninviting read, but Gladwell incorporates such fascinating material and real-life characters and events to make the book riveting reading. At times, his stories take on the feel of a satisfying mystery novel as the plot unwinds on its way to a rewarding denouement.

In the end, Blink makes us think about the way we think and react. Sizing up job applicants will never be the same.