Brief Book Brief
Thinking, Fast and Slow – By: Daniel Kahneman
All Hail the Nobel Laureate! Smarts coming in these words. I’m not going to lie. This book made me sad. I like to think of myself as a thoughtful and wise-ish person but the research into how often and why we are not these important things was disconcerting. Thankfully he included a number of useful ways to recognize when I am failing and ways to access that system two in our brains that require work instead of solving problems by fleeing down the first hall we come across. Foundational to the ideas of CBT with which most counselors are well acquainted and some really helpful examples to help explain how thoughts can be leveraged to change lives.
Some quotes from the book:
“Our comforting conviction that the world makes sense rests on a secure foundation: our almost unlimited ability to ignore our ignorance.”
“A general “law of least effort” applies to cognitive as well as physical
exertion. The law asserts that if there are several ways of achieving the
same goal, people will eventually gravitate to the least demanding course
of action. In the economy of action, effort is a cost, and the acquisition of
skill is driven by the balance of benefits and costs. Laziness is built deep into our nature.”
“The world makes much less sense than you think. The coherence comes mostly from the way your mind works.”
Recommended, but only if you prefer awareness over ignorant bliss.
