Thinking, Fast and Slow

This book has shifted our personal mindset - and gives a really thorough introduction to the research in the space between economics, psychology, decision theory and leadership, coupled with brain research. One of the defining topics of our time. Kahneman has been one of the pioneers in this field, and the book - a thick one - gives a thorough grounding in the research and the whole field.

It’s built from a lot of short chapters, but rests on a fundamental distinction between two systems in our brains. System 1 is our intuitive, shortcut-based way of finding the right answer - we look for associations that allow pattern-recognition against something we’ve already experienced. System 2, in contrast, is slow, thorough and well-substantiated; it tries to form a picture of the relevant data and works deductively to identify the right, rational course of action.

An example: a bat and a ball together cost 110 kr. The bat costs 100 kr. more than the ball. What does the ball cost? Think about it… The answer is of course 5 kr. - if that wasn’t your first guess, it’s because your brain is lazy. Just like everyone else’s.