Among the existing variety of approaches to comprehend the nature of human behavior, the ideas developed by Daniel Kahneman in his book Thinking, Fast and Slow, remain useful for many people. Instead of providing the reader with tips on how to stay rational in decision-making, the author finds it necessary to explain what is right and wrong in human life. Cognition is defined as an embodied process during which knowledge can be gained, and comprehension may be achieved, meaning that a person should think with the body and the brain (Kahneman 51). Optimized decision-making is a process during which a person should make choices, gather information, assess alternatives, and follow several rules defined by Kahneman as heuristics. A successful combination of optimized decision-making and cognition is a result of hard work and deep knowledge with the help of which people understand what they can or cannot do, and Kahneman’s contribution to people’s activities is effective because he explains when and why certain steps should be taken.
There are no right or wrong decisions and ideas. There are biases that can influence the decision-making process. It is not enough to recognize what can define good thinking and strong analysis. It is necessary to focus on what people can do to achieve successful cognition and optimized decision-making. According to Kahneman, a person is driven by two systems: System 1 is fast and automatic with a small portion of the control, and System 2 is slow and logical and requires attention and knowledge (13). In my life, I have several successful and doubtful stories where my cognition divided into two systems is not always helpful in making correct decisions. One situation happened to me in a supermarket when I understood that I had forgotten a list of products to be bought that day and had to memorize the information combining the best traits of both systems. Another situation was based on my experience to befriend people online and make my emotions and adventurism prevail over rationalism and truth.
It was an ordinary Saturday evening when I had to drop all my home and school affairs and come to the nearest supermarket to buy products and goods for my Sunday party. I had been making that shopping list the whole previous week, and it was a shock that I had forgotten at home or simply lost it. I did not have time to come back, but I could not return home without any purchase. I remembered a citation from the recently read book that intelligence is “the ability to find relevant material in memory and to deploy attention when needed” (Kahneman 46). At that moment, I was confused by all those traits of System 1 and 2, and what I did was the creation of a list in my mind relying on my memory and intuition, asking several simple questions to find an appropriate substitution, and choosing confidence over doubts. I did everything possible to achieve successful cognition and work my body and my mind in the same direction. The result was successful. This combination of thoughts and ideas helped me go through each section of the supermarket and buy many products. When I came back home, I made a new plan for a party with the products available to me and enjoyed all preparations and the party itself the next day. Therefore, the book and Kahneman’s lessons turned out to be rather helpful in my intentions to find a good substitution for what I believe is lost forever.
Still, I should admit that not all of Kahneman’s ideas helped me facilitate my life. Several months ago, I was thinking about some new ways to change my life and experience new feelings. Again, looking through the pages of the book, I found such phrases as human mind “is ready and even eager to identify agents, assign them personality traits and specific intentions, and view their actions as expressing individual propensities” (Kahneman 76). I created a story, believed in its possibility, and even included statistical research to check if the existing algorithm could lead to positive outcomes. I followed many criteria given in the book and investigated the examples of other people in the same sphere. I decided to use social media to find new friends and improve my communication with the outside world.
A new city and some unfamiliar people depressed me a lot. I needed new feelings and support. The Internet was a solid source of inspiration and understanding. The result was frustrating. I began written communication with more than 10 people, and all of them ended the same day they started. Despite my confidence and positive intentions, I was broken. Though Kahneman admitted that “it is a mathematically inevitable consequence of the fact that luck played a role in the outcome” (179), I was devastated and lost without even a guess that all these negative emotions and decisions were made because of being motivated by the book.
In general, I believe that Kahneman’s book has a unique effect on my life and my decisions. Being aware of clear definitions and criteria of optimized decision-making and successful cognition, I realize that the most important lessons include my ability to follow my intuition, readiness to make and understand mistakes, and hope that everything will be ok even if the world goes apart. These lessons and thoughts are priceless.
Work Cited
Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.