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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
And Other Ways Our Intuition Deceives Us
The Invisible Gorilla by Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons explores the ways in which we overlook everyday details and completely miss the obvious. Through a series of experiments and real-world examples, the authors reveal the limitations of our attention and the dangers of relying on intuition.
Ever tried to navigate through a situation by listening to your intuition, but ended up in an even more tangled mess? If so, you’re not alone. Sometimes gut decisions can go wrong. Here’s why:
We’re often taught to let our intuition be our guide, to “go with your gut” because “it’s just common sense.” These sayings are based on the idea that our intuition – that is, our ability to understand something instinctively – is an ideal means to making decisions and judgments about situations and events.
In recent years, self-help books on management and psychology have lauded intuitive decisions over decisions based on analysis. In Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink – The Power of Thinking without Thinking, for example, he argues for intuition over analysis. He attempts to demonstrate this by revealing how a Greek statue appeared on the art market and was subsequently proclaimed to be a fake by art experts who trusted their gut. In contrast, several analyses weren’t able to show it was fake.
But our intuition has its limits and can actually be unreliable. There are many examples of forgery slipping through the cracks, undetected by expert intuition.
For example, book dealer Thomas J. Wise found and sold several manuscripts for unknown books by well-known writers. Librarians and book collectors alike were convinced they were the real deal, but after analysis by two British dealers who took into account information about the authors’ lives, the books were all found to be fake.
It also pays to remember that we have phrases in our language that tell us of the limitations of our intuition. For instance, many of us say “never judge a book by its cover” because we know we can’t reliably assess something at first glance.
The Invisible Gorilla (2010) explores the way our intuition is not the beacon of guiding light we think it is. In fact, it’s often erroneously based on illusions. By debunking some examples of common knowledge, Chabris and Simons argue why our intuition often cannot be trusted.
The Invisible Gorilla (2010) by Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons is a thought-provoking book that explores the hidden tricks our minds play on us. Here's why this book is worth reading:
We are aware only of the unexpected objects we do notice, not the ones we have missed.
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Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Get startedBlink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
What is the main message of The Invisible Gorilla?
The main message of The Invisible Gorilla is that we often miss important details and underestimate how much we don't see.
How long does it take to read The Invisible Gorilla?
The reading time for The Invisible Gorilla varies, but it typically takes several hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is The Invisible Gorilla a good book? Is it worth reading?
The Invisible Gorilla is worth reading as it exposes our blind spots and challenges our assumptions about perception. It offers fascinating insights into the limits of our awareness.
Who is the author of The Invisible Gorilla?
The authors of The Invisible Gorilla are Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons.