--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Systems 1 and 2 are both active whenever…" description: "\"“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..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fe/daniel-kahneman-431_basketball-court_systems-1-and-2-are-both-active-whenever_1115154.jpg" --- # Systems 1 and 2 are both active whenever we are awake… ![“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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fe/daniel-kahneman-431_basketball-court_systems-1-and-2-are-both-active-whenever_1115154.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fe/daniel-kahneman-431_basketball-court_systems-1-and-2-are-both-active-whenever_1115154.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fe/daniel-kahneman-431_basketball-court_systems-1-and-2-are-both-active-whenever_1115154.jpg) > ““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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. 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. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Basketball court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball-court/) [Beliefs Impulses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beliefs-impulses-2990596/) [Conscious Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious-attention-823443/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Impressions Intuitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impressions-intuitions-572990/) [Intuitions Intentions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuitions-intentions-2990597/) [Last Word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-word/) [Stimulus Detected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stimulus-detected-2990595/) ## Related quotes > [“System 1 continuously generates suggestions for System 2: impressions, intuitions, intentions, and feelings. 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It started for me in fifth grade on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keyshawn-johnson/i-never-really-called-people-out-it-was-more-along-the-lines-of/) [Keyshawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keyshawn-johnson/) > [Some of my earliest lessons in perseverance were being turned away from the basketball court by the guys in the neighborhood when all I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-staley/some-of-my-earliest-lessons-in-perseverance-were-being-turned-away/) [Dawn Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-staley/) > [A friend of mine has a house with a basketball court and a pool. The guys go over and play basketball; I lie by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-seacrest/a-friend-of-mine-has-a-house-with-a-basketball-court-and-a-pool-the/) [Ryan Seacrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-seacrest/) [Browse all 119 Basketball court quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball-court/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“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.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Daniel Kahneman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/systems-1-and-2-are-both-active-whenever-we-are-awake-system-1-runs/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Basketball court" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/systems-1-and-2-are-both-active-whenever-we-are-awake-system-1-runs/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fe/daniel-kahneman-431_basketball-court_systems-1-and-2-are-both-active-whenever_1115154.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fe/daniel-kahneman-431_basketball-court_systems-1-and-2-are-both-active-whenever_1115154.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fe/daniel-kahneman-431_basketball-court_systems-1-and-2-are-both-active-whenever_1115154.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Systems 1 and 2 are both active whenever we are awake. 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