Benedict’s Reviews > Thinking, Fast and Slow > Status Update

How do you like it so far?

Kate wrote: "How do you like it so far?"

It's great! Plenty to recommend it. The basic thought is that we have two "systems" in our mind. One thinks fast, coming up with a wealth of automatic deductions, reactions, and judgments that get us through most everyday details, but taking mental shortcuts and filling in blanks without a lot of critical review. Great for stopping when you see brake lights; maybe not the best for complicated tax policy. The other system is capable of deeper reflection, but takes effort. The author points out a ton of fun facts about it -- like how if you ask someone to do long multiplication while taking a walk, they'll stop to work on it ... because walking and conversing are automatic, but focusing takes up more mental bandwidth.

The book is basically full of stories about different experiments that help describe these two kinds of thought and how they hijack us ... and occasionally how we can life-hack ourselves to reactivate our deeper thought when we want to, and notice when we're caught in an unreflective pattern.

GREAT book!