Just a Gwai Lo

Kathryn Lord citing Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, a book I didn't like very much: “Speed dating seems MADE for the thin slicing of decision making, and in some ways, that is so. I'll talk more about speed dating in future postings. Speed dating relies on instant decision-making about interest and attraction. Gladwell writes much about how these flashes of insight proved correct. But also, he gives plenty of examples of when the insight does not work well, and is sometimes dead wrong. We all know of couples who hated each other on first meeting, but later felt strongly attracted. He says that good decision making rests on a balance between deliberate and instinctual thinking. And secondly, that too many choices reduces the effectiveness of the process. Speed dating involves many choices, and what might actually be a good match could get lost in the frenzy.”

See also what Richard Posner had to say about Blink and dating.