Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

“Thin-slicing” is the psychological term for the way in which the human mind can almost instantly size up people and situations by focusing on a few essential traits. These traits vary by situation, but with practice, people get very good at recognizing signs of danger, opportunity, and the probable mental states of persons they encounter. The speed of the process depends on limiting the problem to a few variables; this “thin-slices” the mass of sensory inputs until only a few important ones remain. Thin-slicing contrasts with careful reasoning, which is good for studying a problem, but largely useless during a rapidly changing situation.

Now that you have finished Blink, what are a few of Gladwell’s examples of “thin-slicing” that you found to be important to the overarching messaging around Fast-and-Frugal Thinking? Beyond the book, what are some examples of “thin-slicing” from your own experience?

Teaching Suggestion: To orient the class on this topic, consider framing the discussion around the two poles of Fast-and-Frugal Thinking, as discussed by Gladwell throughout Blink: There are moments when this type of thinking Serves Humanity, and other instances where it can Go Wrong. This can help students analyze how “thin-slicing” has the capacity to do both.