Book review: THINKING FAST AND SLOW

by Daniel Kahneman

Genres:

  • Psychology
  • Behavioral Science
  • Decision-Making & Problem Solving

Review posted on:

01.07.2017

The number of pages:

512 pages

Book rating:

5/5star

Year the book was published:

First edition published 2013

Who should read this book:

  • Everyone who is interested in psychology and human nature.

Why did I pick up this book and what did I expect to get out of it:

I picked up Thinking Fast and Slow because I have received many recommendations about it and read many good reviews online. But also I am very interested in what influences me and how. Have you ever asked yourself based on what and how you make your decisions? This is a very important question for each individual and also for businesses. From all I hear and read about Thinking Fast and Slow, I expect that I will learn a great deal about how our mind is influenced consciously and unconsciously as also how to spot those methods. I expect not to only read theory but also to read useful case studies that back up everything that Kahneman has before presented.

My thoughts about the book:

In Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman explains how your mind works and how you make split decisions without even consciously being aware of all of the factors that weigh in. Kahneman explains that our mind is always on the lookout and always making decisions even if we are not aware of it consciously. Those decisions are made by two different systems in our minds. System 1 makes quick decisions – thoughts are processed in the amygdala, while System 2 is slow and does deep analysis and it processes thoughts in the prefrontal cortex. When there is a problem System 1 can’t solve System 2 takes over. There is also an important point made in the book that we have limited mental energy, which System 2 “burns through” fast, and that is why if possible our mind will use System 1 as much as it can.

Kahneman shares a lot of examples of how we are sometimes tricked by System 1 (in some cases System 2 should be activated but is not). Kahneman also shares examples of how important framing is, how we tend to over-value things we own, and explains how our brain is lazy (it would rather solve an easy problem than the right one if possible). You should also keep in mind that your brain continuously looks for patterns in everything and if anchors with numbers are set, it is hard to change the set train of thought. 

To sum it all up, the book is pretty long but it is filled with actionable knowledge backed up with real-life case studies and it could open your mind to new perspectives. The book has it all, theory and case studies, but it at times can be a bit tedious. Chapters are short from 8 to 16 pages and they always concentrate on some “nugget”. In this manner you build up knowledge “brick by brick”, case study by case study. If you are at least a little bit interested in how your mind works this book should be in your hand. This is one of those books that everyone should read.

My notes from the book:

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