The science of snap judgments—those instant decisions we make before we even realize we’re thinking. Malcolm Gladwell calls it “thin-slicing”: the brain’s ability to draw powerful conclusions from the smallest slivers of information. From art experts who sense a fake in seconds to doctors who save lives by simplifying choices, Gladwell shows when intuition hits the mark—and when it catastrophically fails.

The book’s quiet provocation is that intuition isn’t magic; it’s pattern recognition trained by experience. But when bias, noise, or pressure creep in, our instincts betray us, leading to disastrous misreads and false confidence. Gladwell’s real message: more data isn’t always better. Sometimes, thinking less—and designing decisions that protect us from our blind spots—is the smarter move. Blink ultimately asks: when should we trust our gut, and when should we question it?