Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Sometimes you read a book that makes you stop and think and then changes the way you think. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman is one such book. I started reading with my skepticism hat on as I do with most research based material. As I read, Kahneman's descriptions of how we think and how our thinking is affected by the world around us deeply resonated with me. I read Thinking, Fast and Slow like a textbook for a class, a chapter at a time, giving what I'd read time to sink in before moving on to the next chapter. His discussion of "framing" really made me stop and think about how many times I've been manipulated by the wording of an "offer" that mostly benefits the person making the offer. I also stopped to think about how often I make snap judgments attributing my thoughts to intuition based on experience. Thinking, Fast and Slow examines how our brains so often take the easy answer instead of engaging in more thought to find more accurate answers. How easy it is to accept what comes easy and ignore what requires mental engagement even as we fool ourselves into believing we've given a subject a good amount of thought, thought that basically reinforces what we already believe. Kahneman's research and findings are fascinating and offer a new approach to assessing our thoughts and our situations as well as marketing and the stock market. Thinking, Fast and Slow is a book that requires engaging what Kahneman refers to as System 2 thinking and giving the way you think some thought. I know that's what I ended up doing. Thinking, Fast and Slow is a book for anyone who is interested in how thinking works and why they think the things they do. 

Comments

  1. Hache September 10, 2018 at 5:41 PM

    I saw this on a perusal of book depository and wondered if it were good or not, but you know the market is flooded with self-help books that really tell you nothing, that I was sort of afraid to give it a go. Its relieving it find a review of it! May give it a go then.

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