The Power of Rapid Cognition
The Difference Between Snap Judgments and Deliberate Decision-Making
Oct 6, 2008
Snap Judgments versus Deliberation
Faced with a difficult decision, many choose the route of “sleeping on it,” hoping that by considering the options, alternatives, angles and repercussions in a painstaking—and often time consuming—manner, they’ll make a wise, informed decision. Contradicting the common maxims “don’t judge a book by its cover” and “look before you leap,” Gladwell contends that there are some moments when snap judgments and immediate impulses are actually dead on. Despite the proverb, “haste makes waste,” the tendency to methodically weigh decisions can, at times, hinder rather than help decision-making.
Using intriguing anecdotes and research studies, Gladwell addresses how the brain is able to come to rapid—and often accurate—conclusions through the adaptive unconscious. Frequently, however, people interfere with the processes of rapid cognition and thin-slicing and consequently blur their potential decision-making power.
Thin-Slicing and the Power of the Unconscious
Gladwell discusses the brain’s ability to engage in automated, accelerated thinking, referred to as thin-slicing. Thin-slicing is “the ability of our unconscious to find patterns in situations and behavior based on very narrow slices of experience” (Blink 23).
Automatic judgments and snap decisions are often strong because the unconscious mind can efficiently and quickly sift through extraneous factors and hone in on the most crucial bits of information. In some situations, as people consciously bring more and more information into the picture, their decision-making becomes skewed.
The Closed Door of the Adaptive Unconscious
As Gladwell explains, one reason instinctive, gut reactions are often dismissed is because people are unable to articulate them. Despite the feeling of just knowing something, without the language to express this unconscious knowledge, doubt overtakes instinct.
In the beginning of Blink, Gladwell provides a poignant example of how skeptical people often are about their own unconscious power. In 1983, The Getty was presented with a perfectly preserved kouros—a Greek sculpture. A few experts instantaneously felt that something was amiss with the statue. Despite this, The Getty performed a thorough investigation that seemed to prove, to an extent, the statue’s authenticity. When ongoing international debate and research revealed the kouros was decades rather than centuries old, it became apparent that the experts’ immediate reactions were right.
Why did The Getty believe in the kouros’ legitimacy initially, despite their own qualms and the negative gut reactions of many experts? The evidence suggesting the kouros was real—its resemblance to other statues, its material composition, etc.—could be articulated in logical, deliberate language. On the other hand, a snap judgment or immediate reaction is like a mist hovering over the subject, clearly present but vague and ambiguous. The experts couldn’t articulate why they believed the kouros was a suspicious duplicate at first, but their adaptive unconscious knew. Gladwell hints that our links to language may be one of the reasons we dismiss the power of our unconscious and its ability to come to an accurate conclusion in the blink of an eye.
Reflecting on this situation and our tendency to doubt rapid cognition, which takes place behind the closed doors of our unconscious, Gladwell observes, “It’s one thing to acknowledge the enormous power of snap judgments and thin slices but quite another to place our trust in something so seemingly mysterious” (Blink 51).
Balancing Rapid Cognition and Deliberate Decision-Making
As he illustrates throughout Blink, Gladwell believes people should trust in the mystery of rapid cognition and make a few more snap judgments—in the right circumstances.
While Gladwell attributes a significant portion of Blink to discussing when rapid cognition and thin-slicing can lead decision-making astray (and how), he also encourages readers “to respect the fact that it is possible to know without knowing why we know and accept that –sometimes—we’re better off that way” (Blink 54).
Gladwell doesn’t contend in Blink that all decisions should be made without conscious attention, nor does he advocate constant information-gathering. Rather, Gladwell encourages a balance: “Truly successful decision making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking” (Blink 141). Rapid judgments and unconscious decisions are made constantly, whether interviewing someone for a job, on a first date, sitting on a jury or selling a car. As Blink demonstrates, there are times—particularly when under stress or pressure—when split-second thinking has more to offer than it’s given credit for.
Source: Gladwell, Malcolm. Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking. New York: Back Bay Books, 2007.
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