A slow read but lasting impression

Book: Thinking, Fast and Slow

Book author: Daniel Kahneman

For the last few months, this book accompanied me, along with my after-breakfast tea. I would read and mark the pages religiously, sometimes I had to fold both sides of a page. I limited my reading to only a few pages a day, because the contents of the book were very deep, a higher dose would not be absorbed well in my mind. But I took the time, and I am glad that I had this slow journey. In the end, now I know at least a bit more about my self/selves  before reading this book.

The book opens up with introducing two systems to us. System 1 and system 2. System 1 does the fast thinking and system 2 slow. And this is probably why we have two selves (discussed in the last part of the book) and thus it makes sense why we behave the way we do.

Our behaviors are neither predictable, nor calculable by simple theories. The book discusses different psychological theories, presents us countless experiments done and shows how almost each theory has some fallacies. The writing is very engaging, and that makes it readable. And the knowledge was very juicy! Like the books of Harari, it held so much inside it and also let readers discover themselves in the pages of the book.

Particularly, I was taking the experiments on me- failing, but learning a thing or two. It’s great to know one’s own limitations. Even though I have not improved a lot, I am counting the two three things I have noticed I am making a positive change. I found that I play WYSIATI in some aspects of my daily life and try to be conscious of not falling into it. One excellent thing was- reading it helped me understand my partner better! Simply put, my partner acts his system 2 more than I do mine. That’s why our decision making always doesn't synchronize. And my first reaction in these scenarios used to be to think we have a “different” opinion, is this the end of the world? Now, I know better. I try to ask myself the bigger questions, how much the outcome matters. And try to engage my system 2 more, in important matters like finance.

The book is deep, but it never gets boring. Kahneman throws experiments and their results, interesting theories and their fallacies. It’s just sometimes a bit much to grasp after a long, tiring day. So, pick up this book at your own pace. Reading the book especially took me time, because I was also cultivating a mindset adapted from what I was reading.

I ended up buying three extra copies of the book- to share with my friends and colleagues. If I can make an impact as a friend, maybe it’s this!