Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kanheman- Is it even worth reading?
“Thinking Fast And Slow” is considered to be one of the best psychology books of recent times.
This is the kind of book you’d see in a “Top five books to level up” type of video while scrolling. But is it really that good or is it all just hype?
Written by psychologist and economist Daniel Kahneman, “Thinking Fast and Slow” explores the workings of our human mind through a completely unique perspective and takes us on a journey of how it actually works in certain situations.
It’s time to see what this book’s about, why it’s so famous, why it’s still relevant, and if it really is the perfect book for your next read. (With no spoilers!)
Spoiler-Free Summary
In “Thinking Fast and Slow”, Daniel Kahneman shows the inner workings of our brain as an interplay of two separate systems of our brain; namely “System 1” and “System 2”.
We are introduced to two different decision making parts of our brain- system 1 and system 2. These are labelled as different types of decision-making processes of our brain, and it’s pretty easy to understand.
System 1 is a thinking system that operates automatically and quickly, with little to no effort and no sense of voluntary control. It’s used for shorter and instantaneous decisions. On the other hand, System 2 allocates attention to effortful mental abilities, such as large calculations, logical reasoning and critical thinking.
The book introduces us to this singular concept which, while simplified, is still very significant as the labels of system 1 and system 2 are widely used in psychology. It has been presented as a psychodrama between two characters.
Moreover, it shows us how these two systems work in real time using surveys and studies conducted by the author himself. Moreover, the book, especially in the first part, consists of a large number of simple but interesting activities.
There’s one study in particular that really shows the core ideas of the book in action. It shows how different systems functions depending on different circumstances. There’s a slight possibility that you might’ve seen this somewhere on the internet as well. Take a look.
“The unwitting participants in the study were eight parole judges in Israel.
They spend entire days reviewing applications for parole. The cases are presented in random order, and the judges spend little time on each one, an average of 6 minutes. (The default decision is denial of parole; only 35% of requests are approved. The exact time of each decision is recorded, and the times of the judges’ three food breaks—morning break, lunch, and afternoon break—during the day are recorded as well.)
The authors of the study plotted the proportion of approved requests against the time since the last food break. The proportion spikes after each meal, when about 65% of requests are granted. During the two hours or so until the judges’ next feeding, the approval rate drops steadily, to about zero just before the meal.
As you might expect, this is an unwelcome result and the authors carefully checked many alternative explanations. The best possible account of the data provides bad news: tired and hungry judges tend to fall back on the easier default position of denying requests for parole. Both fatigue and hunger probably play a role.”
The book focuses greatly on the different ways these systems affect our daily lives and our decision making skills. It shows different involuntary biases, systematic thinking errors, perspectives on certain situations and fallacies in our thinking- along with the conscious and unconscious roles that both systems play.
So, is this book for you?
This is only partially true, as recognising your biases and faults in decision making already give you an advantage.
It’s true that “Thinking Fast and Slow” leans more towards the psychology rather than the self-help aspect of the book. It’s an educational book in many ways, standing at around 500 pages in most editions.
However, at the same time, it finds many ways to be interesting and it’s a book that really triggers your curiosity, hence urging you to keep reading. This book isn’t just for anyone who’s a psychology enthusiast or self-help reader, I believe that it is a fun read for casual readers as well, regardless of their age or personal interests.
Conclusion
“Thinking Fast and Slow” is a read that I thoroughly enjoyed, even though it’s quite a long book. It’s simple but it goes in-depth in a way that many popular books just don’t. Overall, it was also very thought provoking and engaging throughout, so I’ll easily rate this book as a:
8/10
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