We are very influenced by completely automatic things that we have no control over, and we don’t know we’re doing it.
Daniel Kahneman
1934 –
A week or two ago, I was thinking about a fad that went around when I was in high school. A classmate would be out of your field of vision–either to the side or behind you–and call your name. As you turned toward them, they would toss a book, ball, or some other small object toward you and yell “Think fast!” If you were quick and agile, you caught it. Otherwise, it probably hit you and fell to the floor.
On reflection, what struck me about this situation was the phrase “Think fast”, because we didn’t actually think at all; we reacted. We might have tried to catch the object or dodge it, but we simply didn’t have time to think. We only had time to react.
Our culture both encourages and rewards our ability to think fast. College entrance exams are timed, many professional exams are timed, and in the workplace, those with the quickest answers tend to be promoted sooner. Thinking fast seems like a virtue.
Daniel Kahneman, 2002 Nobel Prize winner and author of the book Thinking, Fast and Slow, pioneered the concept of two ways of thinking: fast and slow.
For our brains, fast thinking is very efficient because we rely on prior experiences to make decisions. We don’t go through all the options and consequences; the decision is based on what worked in the past. But this method can be unreliable and prone to systematic error because it has built in biases. So when we engage in fast thinking, we reduce the quality of our decision making.
Fast thinking relies on the limbic system, the emotional part of the brain. On the other hand, slow thinking takes place in the neocortex, the rational thinking part of the brain. Slow thinking is hard work. It takes a lot of brain energy. But this process is what allows us to solve complex problems.
Some of the time, fast thinking is good. It saves time and mental energy. But it also keeps us tied to old habits and outdated ideas. In particular, fast thinking can prevent us from examining and challenging long held cultural beliefs.
When an issue comes up that involves entrenched beliefs about politics, religion, race relations, or human rights, take a moment to pause. Don’t rely on fast thinking. Engage the rational part of your brain. Are you simply mirroring cultural, political or religious biases? Could you look at things differently? Could there be other viewpoints you should consider? Are you too attached to your right to be right?
Allowing yourself to really engage in slow thinking can be very sobering. We all have a tendency for confirmation bias: only seeing information that matches our beliefs. Digging deeper and truly thinking instead of just reacting can change the way you look at life.
We think, each of us, that we’re much more rational than we are. And we think that we make our decisions because we have good reasons to make them. Even when it’s the other way around. We believe in the reasons, because we’ve already made the decision.
Daniel Kahneman