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Basketball court Quote by Daniel Kahneman

“Systems 1 and 2 are both active whenever we are awake. System 1 runs automatically and System 2 is normally in a comfortable low-effort mode, in which only a fraction of its capacity is engaged. System 1 continuously generates suggestions for System 2: impressions, intuitions, intentions, and…” quote by Daniel Kahneman
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““Systems 1 and 2 are both active whenever we are awake. System 1 runs automatically and System 2 is normally in a comfortable low-effort mode, in which only a fraction of its capacity is engaged. System 1 continuously generates suggestions for System 2: impressions, intuitions, intentions, and feelings. If endorsed by System 2, impressions and intuitions turn into beliefs, and impulses turn into voluntary actions. When all goes smoothly, which is most of the time, System 2 adopts the suggestions of System 1 with little or no modification. You generally believe your impressions and act on your desires, and that is fine—usually. When System 1 runs into difficulty, it calls on System 2 to support more detailed and specific processing that may solve the problem of the moment. System 2 is mobilized when a question arises for which System 1 does not offer an answer, as probably happened to you when you encountered the multiplication problem 17 × 24. You can also feel a surge of conscious attention whenever you are surprised. System 2 is activated when an event is detected that violates the model of the world that System 1 maintains. In that world, lamps do not jump, cats do not bark, and gorillas do not cross basketball courts. The gorilla experiment demonstrates that some attention is needed for the surprising stimulus to be detected. Surprise then activates and orients your attention: you will stare, and you will search your memory for a story that makes sense of the surprising event. System 2 is also credited with the continuous monitoring of your own behavior—the control that keeps you polite when you are angry, and alert when you are driving at night. System 2 is mobilized to increased effort when it detects an error about to be made. Remember a time when you almost blurted out an offensive remark and note how hard you worked to restore control. In summary, most of what you (your System 2) think and do originates in your System 1, but System 2 takes over when things get difficult, and it normally has the last word.””

Daniel Kahneman

About This Quote

Source Book: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, 2011

We have two thinking modes: fast automatic (System 1) and slower deliberate (System 2); the latter steps in for complex or surprising tasks.

In simple terms: Fast intuition vs. slow reasoning; the latter handles complex..

Key Takeaway

Engage deliberate thinking when faced with difficulty or surprise.

Themes

cognition decision making attention

Mood

curious reflective

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

  • problem solving
  • learning new skills
  • error correction
  • critical thinking

Key Concepts

psychology behavioral economics

Questions to Reflect On

  • When did you notice your intuition failing?
  • How can you train System 2 for better decisions?
A Different Perspective

System 2 requires effort and can be fatigued.

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