Gut Feelings

by Gerd Gigerenzer

An engaging explanation of the science behind Malcolm Gladwell?s bestselling BlinkGerd Gigerenzer is one of the researchers of behavioral intuition responsible for the science behind Malcolm Gladwell?s bestseller Blink. Gladwell showed us how snap decisions often yield better results than careful analysis. Now, Gigerenzer explains why our intuition is such a powerful decision-making tool. Drawing on a decade of research at the Max Plank Institute, Gigerenzer demonstrates that our gut feelings are actually the result of unconscious mental processes?processes that apply rules of thumb that we?ve derived from our environment and prior experiences. The value of these unconscious rules lies precisely in their difference from rational analysis?they take into account only the most useful bits of information rather than attempting to evaluate all possible factors. By examining various decisions we make?how we choose a spouse, a stock, a medical procedure, or the answer to a million-dollar game