Blink (Malcolm Gladwell & Allen Lane)
ISBN C71399727.
Malcolm Gladwell, who also penned the best-selling Tipping Point, uses statistics to convince us of the power of first impressions, or intuition if you prefer. He starts with the story of the art experts who knew an ancient artefact was a fake, but initially were unable to tell the purchasers why: they just knew. From there we are taken on an eclectic tour through aspects of marriage guidance, race relations, tennis serving technique and the Pepsi Challenge. Gladwell does all this to convince us of his take on our world, and exposes some myths we may have constructed about ourselves and the world around us along the way. The experts who knew the statue was a fake eventually made their case, but only after the Getty museum had stumped up the cash; relationship experts were uncannily accurate in predicting within seconds which couples would separate and which would stay together; and Coke eventually discovered that the Pepsi Challenge only identified that drinkers preferred their rival's product in a sip test whereas their product is sold in cans, bottles and crates. The discovery came after a significant passing of time, money and a short-lived new recipe. Read, reflect and realise that sometimes all is never what it seems and you should not make snap judgements: except sometimes you should.
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