Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. How would you define “intuition”? Would you say that “intuition” is a scientific concept, a spiritual one, or something else entirely?

Teaching Suggestion: In addition to snap judgments, pattern recognition, and common sense, intuition is one of the various types of Fast-and-Frugal Thinking that Gladwell offers up in his discussion of How Fast-and-Frugal Thinking Serves Humans. Intuition is also a concept that students will have likely heard of and/or thought about, though possibly not in a social scientific/psychological context. In this discussion, consider having students share their own definitions of “intuition” before guiding the conversation toward the lesser-known social scientific and psychological research around the human capacity for intuition.

• “Can We Rely on Our Intuition?” – This article from Scientific American evaluates the idea of trusting one’s “gut.”
• “Your Intuition Is Real. Here’s How to Strengthen It.” – This article from CNN gives another view on the topic of intuition.

2. Malcolm Gladwell is a Canadian journalist and writer who, according to this article, is “best known for his unique perspective on popular culture” and who “adeptly treads the boundary between popularizer and intellectual.” Considering his other projects, how is he both “popularizer and intellectual”? What are the difficulties that might come along with being both of those things at once?

Teaching Suggestion: Having a broad understanding of Malcolm Gladwell, not only as the author of Blink, but as a popular thinker and cultural critic at large, can be crucially beneficial to students’ understandings and perceptions of the ideas and themes shared in the book. The idea that Gladwell is both a “popularizer”—meaning, he popularizes esoteric, difficult, or otherwise little-known ideas—and an “intellectual” may seem to students contradictory, and indeed Gladwell’s critics have often accused him of oversimplifying complex concepts. Consider having students explore these critiques, and any effect they may have on Gladwell’s work and contributions to the culture. Students might evaluate critics’ comments and/or Gladwell’s presentation of ideas in a class discussion or written response.

• “Malcolm Gladwell Shuts Down His Critics in Just 3 Words” – This 2-minute video shows a response from Gladwell on oversimplifying.
• “The Gladwell Effect” – This New York Times article discusses Gladwell’s impact. (Subscription may be needed to view.)

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

What is one thing about your personality that, based on initial appearances, might surprise people once they get to know you? Have you ever misjudged someone, based on appearances alone?

Teaching Suggestion: It may be beneficial to remind students that, while it is human nature to have an initial impression/assessment of someone, harmful stereotyping and demonization— especially of minority and other marginalized groups—is not acceptable. To understand one facet of Gladwell’s concept of How Fast-and-Frugal Thinking Can Go Wrong, it may be useful for them to reflect upon their own experience of being judged (and also, potentially, their experience with casting judgment). 

• “Why Is It Impossible to Not Judge People?” – This article from Psychology Today introduces the topic of passing judgment.
• “Implicit Bias Explained” – This brief article explains this term.

Differentiation Suggestion: Advanced learners might spend time exploring Harvard’s Project Implicit site, which offers a series of diagnostic tests to ferret out individuals’ implicit bias surrounding social attitudes and health. Exploring the results of these diagnostic tests may help them better understand the distinction between harmful implicit bias and Gladwell’s concept of Fast-and-Frugal Thinking.