Thinking, Fast and Slow. Do you know how your brain works? Two systems?

I have always been curious and fascinated by Psychology. I believe it’s crucial to learn how you truly make decisions, and how you can properly manage your emotions. Daniel Kahneman helps you to understand yourself a little bit better after reading his thoughts.

This book is so helpful and important for your life that I decided to write a different article for each part of it. Daniel Kahneman is the bible for improving your emotional intelligence.

During this insightful book we constantly learn from two different characters: System 1 and System 2.

System 1 operates automatically and quickly, your cruise control mode that enables you to live your life in autopilot. As you find out in the book, you have little to no control over this instinct.

System 2 implies a higher level of concentration, it makes you "think" before discussing complicated matters for example. This is what happens when you find yourself deciding what to do in your own mind.

The first lesson that Daniel taught me is simple: We are not fully rational, the majority of the time you use System 1. Disappointing, to say the least, even if you fully prepare yourself to be rational you will fall and be trapped by your instincts.

Check this video to have a better idea about what I am talking about: “The Selective Attention Test”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo

If you were involved in this test where the aim was to count the number of passes between basketball players and a suddenly a gorilla appears in the court, chances are you will not notice it… It doesn’t have the focus of our attention. Seems dangerous?

Let me share two examples with you,

A bat and a ball cost 1.10$, the bat costs one dollar more than the ball, how much does the ball cost?

24*17?

Be real with me on this point, which statement made you work harder?

On the first problem the intuitive solution is 0.1$ but if you make the calculations you will see you are wrong. You did it that way because your brain considered it was lazy time.

Now when it comes to maths either you give up or you think, and you use your system 2. Interesting is it? Now imagine this problem in your life, you believe maths is hard so you turn on your system 2 to get an answer, however in the first example you take the solution as granted so you become blinded by your own reasoning.

“If I work enough and manage to get the best average grade on my class I will have the best job around”. Will you? Isn’t it just your system 1 believing a world of impressions created by your sensation of success? If you turn on your system 2 don’t you have much more factors to consider? Again, our brain is fooling ourselves, and we need to be aware about it.

Daniel explores several themes during this first part however it would not be fair to approach them all in this short text, each concept deserves a whole text by itself.

My main takeaway was to learn that I have two personalities triggered by my brain: either I am rational or on cruise control mode.

Now what?