Blink

By: Malcolm Gladwell

Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell

Intuition is not some magical property that arises unbidden from the depths of our mind. It is a product of long hours and intelligent design, of meaningful work environments, and particular rules and principles. This audiobook shows us how we can hone our instinctive ability to know in an instant, helping us to bring out the best in our thinking and become better decision-makers in our homes, offices, and in everyday life. Just as he did with his revolutionary theory of the tipping point, Gladwell reveals how the power of blink could fundamentally transform our relationships - the way we consume, create and communicate, how we run our businesses, and even our societies. You'll never think about thinking in the same way again.©2005 Malcolm Gladwell (P)2005 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Brilliant." (Observer)
"Astonishing." (Daily Mail)
"Compelling." (Evening Standard)

Eye opener

Excellent and inspiring book - of the matter of intuition as well as actual issues concerning us all - such as police shootings or effective markting of products.
A minor but unusual and very nice detail: this audiobook is actually modified slightly from the written edition, so it consistently makes sense to a listener as oposed to a reader.

Good but flawed

This is the third Malcolm Gladwell book I have listened to (or read), and like the other two, it is really interesting, but just a little bit unconvincing in parts. He is a brilliant storyteller, drawing you in with interesting anecdotes about a man who can pick winning horses by observing their body language and a rogue soldier who outwits the entire US army in a war game scenario. But towards the end of the book his argument loses its way.

As the book progresses he gradually builds a convincing theory about how our minds are adept at making accurate instantaneous judgements and how, in many cases, the more information we are given the less likely we are to judge well.

But then he starts to make some slightly dubious claims and even to contradict himself somewhat. He tells the story of 4 policemen who kill an African American in a bad neighbourhood at night because they think he has a gun. He says that the stress of the situation gives them ‘temporary autism’ which robs them of their normal powers to make ‘blink’ judgements. But you just don’t need this theory to explain why they misjudged the situation. It was dark, and the inability of the men to detect the innocence and terror on the victim’s face could be explained by this alone.

Later on he describes another policeman, who had received training in controlling this kind of panic reaction in dangerous and stressful situations, and because of this training, when faced with an armed youngster, he waited a little longer and gathered more information and decided not to shoot. But this contradicts the main idea of the book, which is that we make better decisions when we allow our intuition to do it in a blink.

So, by the end of the book, you have been entertained and have also been persuaded that humans often make better judgements when they ‘thin slice’, i.e. they make quick unconscious decisions based on very limited information. But, in my opinion, he tries to over-elaborate his theory in the later chapters, and I felt myself disagreeing with him, which spoilt the book a bit.

Great Listening for your commute!

Would you listen to Blink again? Why?

Another book where Malcolm delves into the intricacies of a single topic. Very well read by the author.

Wonderful

Wonderful read and brilliant narration by Malcolm Gladwell. I really enjoyed it.Audible please upload more books.

Manual For Life & Learning

I listened to Blink in 2012 while I was completing my Masters degree in Psychotherapy. I found it invaluable for my studies and was inspired to buy a copy of the book as well. Gladwell's observations on life and humanity are beautifully nuanced and insightful. Gladwell offers an intimate narrative and supremely relevant contribution to our understanding of social psychology and human behaviour. I loved this book and continue to quote from it seven years later!

Really enjoyed the book

Would you consider the audio edition of Blink to be better than the print version?

I did not read the print version.

What did you like best about this story?

The subject matter contained a lot of ideas that were completely new to me.

What about Malcolm Gladwell???s performance did you like?

Malcolm Gladwell is passionate about his ideas, and this comes over clearly in his reading.

If you could give Blink a new subtitle, what would it be?

Important observations about first impressions

Any additional comments?

Wonderful audiobook!

Stunning but Gladwel spoilt us with Outliers

Would you consider the audio edition of Blink to be better than the print version?

Yes, the fact that it is author read gives it a feel of authenticity. I don't have to judge emphasis or pronunciation (not a native English speaker)

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The book confronts one with everyday realities which is presented from a new perspective.

Which character – as performed by Malcolm Gladwell – was your favorite?

He does himself rather convincingly :-)

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It held my attention, but not to the point where I could not pause. I liked it - binding enough to hold me yet autonomous enough in its coherence that the interruptions inevitable in my life did not significantly detract from the value even though I can only listen for ~40 minutes at a time

Any additional comments?

Outliers spoiled it for us as this is somewhat less wow but by any other standard it is great. Sometimes I got the feeling the point was belabored as it was already stated yet only paraphrased later, but there were also times when the extra angle added more insight.
All n all a valuable listen!

A great book! Highly recommended!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has some great ideas. I look forward to the other books by this author.

Blink

Very perceptive book and a good sequel to Tipping Point. I am currently on my second way through it and enjoy the open approach that has been taken.

Fascinating

This was my first audio booked and I was thrilled to find it so engaging. Gladwells excellent narration of his work, and the fascinating subject matter made for engaging listening.