Blink is a book about metacognition. In other words, thinking about thinking. Gladwell discusses the choices that seem to be made in an instant–in the blink of an eye–that may not be as simple as they seem.

Why do some of us have a hunch and follow it to succeed while others follow their instincts and fail?  How come some people make brilliant decisions in seconds while others are consistently inept at decision making? How do we go about cognition in the classroom, at work and at home? These and other questions around daily thinking and our approach to it are analysed in an interesting manner using real-life examples.

You will meet the antique experts who recognize a fake at a glance even when others have failed after a lengthy period of careful analysis. There is a psychologist who can actually predict the future outcome of a marriage by observing the couple for a few minutes. There are examples of great failures too, such as the shooting of Amadou Diallo by New York police officers, the flash in the pan of a “New Coke” as a response to Pepsi’s growing success and even the political fiasco of electing Warren Harding as the 29th President of America.

In all these one can argue that there is no sustained argument in the book yet the zinger is that Gladwell revealed great decision-making isn’t necessarily about processing huge information or endless deliberation but those about perfecting the art of ‘thin slicing’, –a term that Gladwell uses to encapsulate the ability to make a quick judgment with limited data or filtering the very few essential factors from an overwhelming number of variables.

Blink is a book that redefined my perception of thinking and I bet it will change the way you approach the decisions you will make going forward.