The Dark Side

Our adaptive unconscious makes snap judgements and decisions. This is called thin-slicing, "the ability of our unconscious to find patterns in situations and behaviour based on very narrow slices of experience." (23) Thin-slicing is what makes it possible to analyze only 15 minutes of a wife and husband talking and be able to determine with 90% accuracy if that couple will still be married in 15 years. We can determine which doctors will be sued for medical malpractice just based on listening to brief clips of how a doctor talks to his patients instead of studying the physicians past history.

Our unconscious is "sifting through the situation front of us, throwing out all that is irrelevant while we zero in on what really matters, and the truth is that our unconscious is really good at this, to the point where thin-slicing often delivers a better answer than more deliberate and exhaustive ways." (33)

What if in that blink of an eye we become blind?

In the history of American presidents, historians agree that Warren Harding was one of the worst. How is it possible that a man who is hesitant and uncertain of policies and unable to formulate a speech be elected as president. The answer is quite simple, Warren Harding looked the part. When thin-sliced by people he appeared to be a man who would make a great president. Although thin-slicing allows us to "very quickly get below the surface of a situation" (75) sometimes rapid cognition can lead us in the wrong direction. This is what Gladwell calls the Warren Harding error; the dark side to our adaptive unconscious.

The IAT (Implicit Association Test) shows the effects of our feelings and actions when in moments that require spontaneous thinking. Our attitudes towards areas such as race and gender are not only conscious but also have an unconscious aspect where "the immediate, automatic associations...tumble out before we've even had time to think." (85) This is why over 80% of people who take the race IAT have pro-white associations. We are unaware of these associations because they occur behind a locked door on an unconscious level yet they have the power to govern our beliefs and our behaviour. This part of our unconscious are opinions shaped from our experiences.

In that blink of an eye we are blind.

This happens outside of our awareness behind a locked door but it is still something that we can work to control Gladwell argues. It all comes down to our experiences.

Bob Golomb is an extremely successful cars salesman because he is able to control the way in which he thin-slices. He avoids the Warren Harding error by permitting himself from judging his customers based on their appearance or first impressions and instead thin-slices a persons intentions, needs and emotions. He balances his "deliberate and distinctive thinking" (141) and thats what makes his decisions and ultimate prosperity successful.

The power of thin-slicing is incredible but it is something that under certain conditions we must have control of. Malcolm Gladwell is a brilliant man.