Gerd 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 Planck Institute for Human Development, 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 show question—Gigerenzer shows how gut feelings not only lead to good practical decisions but also underlie the moral choices that make our society function.
In the tradition of Blink and Freakonomics, Gut Feelings is an exploration of the myriad influences and factors (nature and nurture) that affect how the mind works, grounded in cutting-edge research and conveyed through compelling real-life examples.
Download and start listening now!
""If you liked Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink" you'll love this. Very insightful and full of research to prove the comments, you'll finish and realize you know more then you think you do, you just can't explain it..." "
— John (4 out of 5 stars)
“Before his research, this was a topic dismissed as crazed superstition. Gigerenzer is able to show how intuition works and how ordinary people successfully use it in modern life.”
— New York Times“Fascinating and provocative. Gut Feelings may well be the recipe for a simpler, less stressful life.”
— Sunday Times (London)“Gigerenzer’s writing is catchily optimistic and slyly funny.”
— Guardian (London)" This book was a great introduction to the scientifically unexplained sense of intuition. Gigerenzer adds great illustrations that aid in understanding his theory. I loved this book and recommend it to anyone who knows the answer without knowing all or any of the facts. "
— Namaste247, 1/20/2014" In a very readable and fun style, Gerd Gigerenzer brilliantly explains how, where, and why we should trust the intelligence of our unconscious mind. Gigerenzer's research was the backbone for much of Malcolm Gladwell's book Blink. "
— Greg, 1/15/2014" I enjoy reading what I guess you'd term pop psychology books. This was kind of like "Blink" by Malcom Gladwell, but more in-depth. I really enjoyed it. "
— Jennifer, 1/12/2014" this book sucks. i could not come close to finishing it... "
— gdg, 12/30/2013" much more scientific than Blink "
— Yusuf, 12/17/2013" "If you liked Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink" you'll love this. Very insightful and full of research to prove the comments, you'll finish and realize you know more then you think you do, you just can't explain it..." "
— John, 12/12/2013" If you want a book like this, read Gladwell's Blink. This book is boring and very repetitive compared to many other books on this topic. "
— Josh, 12/7/2013" I picked it up after reading "Blink". Maybe too much information, maybe the reader, but I kept falling asleep. "
— Valice, 12/5/2013" Ok some interesting insights. "
— Mounir, 12/4/2013" Very interesting material, not interesting writing "
— H, 10/31/2013" This book written by a German scientist of human cognition is very readable. Gigerenzer gives research based explanations of how intuition really works. "
— Angela, 8/22/2013" hard to get into. Definitely not a fun read. Had to put it down, for the time being, and will resume at a later date, perhaps. "
— Sunny, 1/3/2013" Interesting counterpoint to the thesis of Supercrunchers. The author makes an excellent case that sometimes our gut feelings are better than a "supercrunched" decision. "
— Michael, 12/4/2012" More in-depth analysis of many of the studies in Gladwell's Blink. "
— Megan, 1/17/2012" This short book on our ability to make decisions based on our unconscious was an interesting read. The book contains a decent amount of science, but since the author explains the concepts with examples it was comprehensible to the lay reader, (like me, i didn't major in science in college). "
— Dave, 9/30/2011" Es bueno, pero si ya leíste Blink de Malcolm Gladwell, puede que el tema ya no te resulte tan interesante. No obstante, los capítulos sobre la medicina y sobre la moralidad sí son bastante originales, y vale la pena echarles un vistazo. "
— Arturo, 1/10/2011" Way too anecdotal to be taken seriously. I was looking for a little more psychology/biology; it was all stories, surveys and thought experiments. If you're current on your Malcolm Gladwell, there won't be too many surprises here. "
— Greg, 11/20/2010" I found this book tedious and boring, with little useful or interesting content. I highly recommend reading something from Gary Klein instead. "
— Eohlson, 5/17/2010" I picked it up after reading "Blink". Maybe too much information, maybe the reader, but I kept falling asleep. "
— Valice, 2/10/2010" It took me a while to finish, as it was bathroom reading, but no less enjoyable for all that. Very interesting, and challenging, especially in this era of constant "planning", "
— Nina, 2/9/2010" This book was a great introduction to the scientifically unexplained sense of intuition. Gigerenzer adds great illustrations that aid in understanding his theory. I loved this book and recommend it to anyone who knows the answer without knowing all or any of the facts. "
— Namaste247, 10/17/2009" More in-depth analysis of many of the studies in Gladwell's Blink. "
— Megan, 9/10/2009" This book written by a German scientist of human cognition is very readable. Gigerenzer gives research based explanations of how intuition really works. "
— Angela, 4/24/2009Gerd Gigerenzer, a former professor of psychology at the University of Chicago, is the director of the Center for Adaptive Behavior and Cognition at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin. He is the author of Calculated Risks: How to Know When Numbers Deceive You, the German translation of which won the 2002 Scientific Book of the Year Prize, and coauthor of Simple Heuristics That Make Us Smart and Bounded Rationality: The Adaptive Toolbox.
Laural Merlington is an audiobook narrator with over two hundred titles to her credit and a winner of multiple Earphones Awards. An Audie Award nominee, she has also directed over one hundred audiobooks. She has performed and directed for thirty years in theaters throughout the country. In addition to her extensive theater and voice-over work, she teaches college in her home state of Michigan.