Thin-Slicing

I remember when i was young, i used to take my first impression of something and someone to draw conclusions on everything incidents that happened. I was ashamed of myself for doing so, because that only proved that i am a very emotional and irrational person. And i wanted to prove myself so much that i wasnt! Hence i began to look into all the possibilities of decision solving when i am faced with an issue, a confrontation, a problem. It was tough as first, then gradually the skill of taking in all possibilities began to plant itself into me, and it comes in as handy as and when i want. Why did i do so? Because all the books that i have read, all the advices that i could get from anyone was that emotional will lead you no where, and the only way one can succeed is by rationalizing and justifying things. Hence i take it as the gospel. All because i wanted to be a successful someone, who wouldnt?

But deep down in my heart, i always question myself. Why is it that a lot of time, my first instinct of something or someone often proved me right? I remember a conversation i once had with one of my best friend. I told her that its funny that at the start of every relationship i had, i often had the gut feelings knowing if the relationship will be a good or bad one and that i know who will be dumped at the end. Like i said, often i was right. And that upset me a lot. When i got older, the same instinct and guts feelings were applied to my jobs. Of course there are a lot of things which i would have no guts feelings about but on those which i had, they are often right.

Was i being to superstitious? Or was i trying to gather all the evidences when things happened just to prove that my instincts were correct? I could not answer that, until i keep reading the book "Blink". These guts feelings or instincts i had has a term, called thin-slicing. It is when with limited information, that human has the ability derive a conclusion or intuition on things but the reasons are often difficult to explain or justify. This is because for centuries, since we human learnt to stand on our legs, we have developed a natural skill that is embedded in our left brain hemisphere to help us make conclusions at the blink of the eye. And all these was because that will help us to survive. Imagine seeing a bull coming fiercely to us ready to attack, do we even have the time to think and rationalise all the possible ways to run? Or our body just react to the emergency by running, even before we have the time to think?

So the next time when an instinct strike you and you do not know how to explain it, dont! Unless the consequences are so disastrous when they are wrong, the best option to take perhaps will just be to go along with your guts feelings. And when others try to tell you that you are being unreasonable, emotional and irrational, just throw them the book "Blink", and push all the blames to the author. Since it is the international best seller, that means there are a lot of readers out there and if you are proven wrong, i am sure at least 10% of the readers would be agreeable to you, and that you are not the only sucker in the world.

For now i have the guts feeling that it is highly possible starting from tomorrow, if i disagree to suggestions from my partner, it is all because i am having the instincts and guts feelings. I am sure this is not because i just dont feel like agreeing or that i am being irrational or emotional, i am just following the suggestion of the best international selling book, and i cant stop the smirk on my face as i am typing this. Watch out guys!