Brilliant Blog

Should Hamlet be living with us now and reading bestsellers, he might be wondering: 

To Blink or not to Blink?

To Think or not to Think?

We are pleased to present, as part of our ongoing Author Speaks Series, an article by Madeleine Van Hecke, author of Blind Spots: Why Smart People Do Dumb Things. In it, she offers the "on the other hand" to Malcolm Gladwell's Blink argument. 

To Think or to Blink?

- By Madeleine Van Hecke, PhD

Is thoughtful reflection necessarily better than hasty judgments?

Not according to Malcolm Gladwell who argued in his best-selling book, Blink, that the decisions people make in a blink are often not only just as accurate, but MORE accurate, than the conclusions they draw after painstaking analysis.

So, should we blink, or think?

When we make judgments based on a thin slice of time – a few minutes talking with someone in a speed dating situation, for example – are our judgments really as accurate as when we analyze endless reams of data?

Gladwell says sure – that’s why Blink is called “the power of thinking without thinking.” Gladwell tells some compelling stories to demonstrate that power, including his opening gambit about the Greek kouros sculpture that two experts accurately detected as a fake within a few moments perusal, after months of scientific testing had deemed it genuine.

But Gladwell’s own examples show that people are most likely to be correct in their “blink” judgments when they are like the two art experts – when their judgments rest on a mother lode of background experience or information. So a “blink” judgment might serve you well at those times – but the rest of the time, you need Blind Spots. Blind Spots has tactics to help you make better decisions because they help you sidestep the pitfalls that your blind spots keep you from seeing.

They don’t always serve us well even then, for two reasons. First, because in highly-charged, emotional situations – such as when a police officer becomes suspicious of someone and fears danger – blink decisions can result in tragedy. Gladwell acknowledges this– he notes that some police departments have adopted one-officer squad cars. Why? Because an officer alone will act more slowly, often wait for back-up. This delays the time between becoming suspicious and taking action, and it apparently reduces the number of inaccurate blink-decisions that officers make.

In Blind Spots, I point out that failing to stop and think is a blind spot – we don’t think because we don’t recognize “this is a situation in which I really need to step back from what’s going on and figure out what to do.” As a result we shoot off an e-mail that we later regret, or exuberantly embrace a flawed marketing plan. Every time you have ever said “I realize now,” you’re recognizing an earlier time where you failed to stop and think.

The second reason that expert blink decisions can go astray is because sometimes our very expertise blinds us to new, more creative perspectives. Why, for example, did people design early train cars with no central aisles, and with brakes that had to be operated by a conductor seated outside, on top of the train car – a dangerous practice? Because these early cars were almost exact replicas of what the expert designers were most familiar with – the stagecoach. So our expertise can sometimes trap us.

Now, I think intuition is important, and one of the good things about Blink is that it’s kind of a corrective book, one that celebrates the value of intuitive thinking and pokes fun a bit at careful, analytic reasoning. But Blink oversimplifies the issue. Blind Spots reflects more deeply on the tension between analytic thought and intuition. It’s a mistake to enthrone logic as the sole and sure-fire way to Truth, but it’s also a mistake to blithely accept every whim as inspired. A better slogan might be “Don’t believe everything that you think.” The strategies in Blind Spots help you figure out what you should and shouldn’t believe.

Some of the stories that Gladwell tells are testimony to the mystery of our minds, and I absolutely agree that our minds often work in mysterious ways. But that mystery goes way beyond the nature of intuition. Take the evidence that children can be incredibly logical in their thinking. One three-year-old girl was being teased by her Aunt, who was nibbling at the child’s toes and threatening “I’m going to eat you up!” “No!” said the little girl, “I’m going to eat you up!” “Aha,” said the Aunt, “but I’m bigger than you, so I’ll eat you up first.” “Uh-uh” retorted this youngster: “because I’ll eat your mouth first.” The logic of this preschooler is quite breathtaking. How did she do that?

On the other hand, there’s also research that raises the opposite question: the “How could anyone be so dumb?” question. Some studies, for example, show that intelligent adults consistently make mistakes in reasoning. How do you explain that? To me, the apparent stupidity of adults – the enigma of why smart people do dumb things — is a puzzle to be solved.

Smart people do dumb things because our minds work FOR us – 80 or 90 percent of the time. But the rest of the time they work against us: they create blind spots that trip us up. Some of these blind spots are familiar to us, like “my-side bias” - not seeing another point of view. One smart fellow told me what he did to get a squirrel out of his basement. He opened a window, piled up some planks and boxes to create a road, and set down a trail of nuts, ending with a heap on the patio. Now that MIGHT have been a smart thing to do - but it could have backfired. Because that trail went both ways – possibly leading the troublesome squirrel out of the basement, but possibly leading other squirrels INTO the basement. Some smart plans fail because of my-side bias. Forgetting that there’s another point of view is one of the natural blind spots that work against us.

It takes some time, it takes some effort – it takes more than a blink – but paying attention to your Blind Spots can help you think more critically and more creatively.

-- Madeleine Van Hecke, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist, speaker, consultant, and author. She is the author of Blind Spots: Why Smart People Do Dumb Things (Prometheus Books, Inc., 2007) and the developer of the You Can Do Something Different training program.

If you enjoyed this, you may enjoy reading this related article:

Why Smart Brains Make Stupid Decisions. 

Sandeep hosts a very inspired edition of Encephalon. Make sure to visit if you are interested in brain and mind topics!

Ode to the Brain: Encephalon 51st edition now out!

Which starts with... 

25 little gems,
on the mind and the brain-
aren't they one and the same!

From the website of the investing venture capital firm, Milk Capital:

Milk Capital invests USD 5 million in CogniFit

-July 31st, 2008. "Milk Capital invest USD 5M in Cognifit, a company specialized in cognitive and brain software The solutions developed by CogniFit are designed to be applied to a large number of fields, such as healthcare, driving, education, sport and many others. The field of applications is almost unlimited as it is only restricted by the capacities of the brain."

-"Since its establishment in 1999, CogniFit attracted 4.2M$. Despite this rather moderate investment at the beginning, the company has grown significantly and today, its software is distributed in a large number of countries, from the United States through France to New Zealand, and has been translated into ten languages. This 5M$ investment of MILK CAPITAL should drive the development of CogniFit all the more than the company intends to conquer new markets by means of new products and applications all over the world."

Other recent venture rounds, showing the growth in the category:

- February 2008: Dakim raises $10,6 million
- June 2008: Lumos Labs (Lumosity) raises $3 millions

I spoke at the MIT Club of Northern California in February to provide an overview of the fascinating landscape. The write-up: Brain Training Games: Context, Trends, Questions. 

For in-depth information on the whole category -size, customer segments, player landscape, clinical validation, trends- you may enjoy our Market Report.

My brain is honoured to have been nominated to participate, together with the rest of my body of course, in a new initiative by the World Economic Forum.

The Global Agenda Councils have a fascinating charter:

- "Global Agenda Councils will challenge prevailing assumptions, monitor trends, map interrelationships and address knowledge gaps. Equally important, Global Agenda Councils will also propose solutions, devise strategies and evaluate the effectiveness of actions using measurable benchmarks."

- "In a global environment marked by short-term orientation and silo-thinking, Global Agenda Councils will foster interdisciplinary and long-range thinking to address the prevailing challenges on the global agenda."

The Inaugural Summit on the Global Agenda in Dubai (November 7-9) sounds very promising:

- "During the three-day Summit, the 700 participants of this interdisciplinary event will engage in interactive workshops and sessions to set priorities for the most compelling ideas for improving the state of the world, from groundbreaking areas of research to new and exciting developments and cross-cutting solutions to address the world’s challenges. The outcomes of the Summit will be presented at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2009 in Davos for further discussion and action."

Will keep you posted on what happens before, during and after the event (membership involves a set of activities during  full year) to encourage a wider participation. This can be an excellent opportunity to build bridges between growing cognitive research and applications and the challenges of gerontology, health, education. And, the higher the participation, the more relevant and solid those bridges will be.

Here you are have the twice-a-month newsletter with our most popular blog posts. Please remember that you can subscribe to receive this Newsletter by email, simply by submitting your email at the top of this page.

News and Events

Brain Health Promotion by the American Society on Aging: You may be interested in the excellent agenda the American Society on Aging has put together for health professionals, from September 2-5th in San Francisco, devoting a full day to Brain Health. Alvaro will participate in 3 of the sessions, including giving a keynote on the Future of Brain Health.

Can Google Kill Neurons and Rewire Your Whole Brain?: The Atlantic Monthly published an article titled Is Google Making Us Stupid, which basically blamed Google for literally rewiring our brains into more stupid brains (not being able to pay attention, read deep books...). We are not very impressed by the superficial treatment given to this very important topic.

Mobile Brain Training, Scientific Learning, and More News: Overview of cognitive health and fitness news, including recent research on how physical exercise can help diagnosed Alzheimer's patients, the new Mac version of Posit Science's auditory processing training program, and more.

Market Analysis

Top 10 Brain Health Predictions: In an emerging market, like brain health and training, it is difficult to make precise projections. Here we point out a number of trends that executives, consumers, public policy makers, and the media should watch closely in the coming years. Your feedback is very welcome...we will give a complimentary copy of our market report to the person who provides the most insightful additional prediction by August 10th.

Cognitive Health Pioneers: Thank You! The quality and variety of our client list brings up the cross-sector demand for quality information in the emerging brain fitness/ cognitive health category. And it helps us prioritize efforts and coverage of market and research news and trends.

Research Analysis

Encephalon blog carnival: Brain & Mind Research: We hosted Encephalon´s 50th edition, where you will find a selection of superb blog posts on all things Brain and Mind. Examples? you may enjoy Facebook Ate My Psychiatrist or perhaps the Compulsive Collecting of Toy Bullets and Televisions.

Attention Deficits At Work: Dr. Pascale Michelon provides an in-depth overview of a recent study by Ron de Graaf and colleagues,  in which they found that an average of 3.5% of workers (in ten countries) meet the criteria for adult ADHD, In the US, the percentage increased to 4.5%. This has clear effects on productivity.

Education and Learning

Learning & the Brain: Resources for Educators: Educator Laurie Bartels reviews her favorite brain resources for teaching and learning: books, conferences, and websites.

Brain Teasers

Top 25 Brain and Mind Haikus. Yours?: Readers have contributed a good number of haikus on brain-related topics. You can follow the link to check out our Favorite 7, and many other fun ones...which ones do you like the most?

Some recent brain training and health news:

1) A Promising Debut for Computerized Therapies

2) Fitness protects brain in Alzheimer's patients

3) Brain Fitness Program Classic comes to Mac

4) Posit Science gains ownership of Scientific Learning (NSDQ: SCIL)´s BrainConnection.

5) Brain training on your mobile 

6) You must remember this: how the mind works

Here you have the links and my commentary for these news:

1) A Promising Debut for Computerized Therapies

- "Against this difficult background, researchers at Yale report a paradigm-shifting approach that closes the gap to cost-effective real-world delivery of an effective cognitive-behavioral therapy(CBT) program for substance dependence. Cleverly called computer-based training for cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT4CBT),this information age web-based program penetrates previously impregnable barriers to care delivery."

Comment: fascinating recent clinical trial on the benefits of computer-based cognitive interventions, presented with a very insightful editorial on how these emerging tools can complement existing, face-to-face, approaches.

2) Fitness protects brain in Alzheimer's patients

- "People in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease who are more physically fit had less shrinkage in areas of the brain that are important for memory, researchers said on Sunday."

- "Fitness and exercise have been shown to slow age-related changes in the brain in healthy people. The latest finding suggests people with early Alzheimer's disease may still benefit."

Comment: another study showing why, no matter our age or cognitive health, leading a sedentary life is bad for our brains.

3) ‘Brain Fitness Program Classic’ comes to Mac

- "Posit Science has announced the release of Brain Fitness Program Classic for the Mac. It costs $395. System requirements call for Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later, 1GB hard disk space"

Comment: Mac users have now have access to this auditory processing training program. Given the median age of participants in the one published study that measured the benefits of this program (close to 70 years), I am not sure many Mac users will jump on it, but it certainly helps bridge the PC-Mac divide (to our knowledge this is the first science-based program offered for Macs).

4) Posit Science gains ownership of Scientific Learning (NSDQ: SCIL)´s BrainConnection.

Comment: we just received an email message saying so. It will be interesting to learn what price Posit Science had paid for this online property, one of the best marketing and strategic assets Scientific Learning (NSDQ: SCIL, developer of Fast ForWord) had developed over the years, and the rationale for having a potential competitor acquire it.

5) Brain training on your mobile

- "Students with mobile phones appear to have been sharpening their minds outside their studies after it was revealed that the most popular game downloaded onto mobile phones is 'Brain Coach with Dr Kawashima', according to the game's creator Namco Bandai."
- Masajo Okubo, managing director at Naco Bandai, said: "With Dr. Kawashima's official approval, we are very proud to take this popular genre to the next level. Players are now presented a new and scientifically proven series of fun brain training challenges that actually help activate different parts of the brain."

Comment: to talk about "mobile brain training" today is either an exercise in banality (basically, every single thing we do, every single thought we have, changes somehow the structure of our brains, so anything can be considered to be "brain training") or misleading, given the dearth of specific research. Throughout the research undertaken to prepare our Market Report covering the whole brain fitness software category, including mobile applications, we didn´t come across a single mobile product with quality published evidence on how it can enhance cognitive functions. We can call them "games", but not "brain training" or "brain fitness", or say, as in the quote above, that they are "scientifically proven". In fact, we gave Nintendo Brain Age a score of 1 out of 10 in clinical validation... and we do consider it more promising than the many other "game" copycats. Mobile platforms will be very important in the brain fitness market, but the medium will probably show value first for cognitive assessments, more than for real "brain training". Meditation, cognitive therapy and computer-based cognitive training are, today, the only "brain training" mediums with emerging research showing cognitive value.

6) You must remember this: how the mind works

- "Amazon is full of brain workouts. Last year, British scientist Baroness Susan Greenfield launched a PC-based program of exercises - MindFit - whose online 'personal coach' evaluates your results and adjusts tasks depending on how badly you've done. It says it can boost memory recall by 14 per cent. I don't know about that, but I did get noticeably better at predicting the course of a hot-air balloon sailing from one cloud to another."

- "Our appetite for better brains is an obsession reflected in the worldwide expansion over the past decade of neuroscience studies. These come on the heels of neuroimaging techniques that have brought together the disciplines of psychology (mind) and neurobiology (matter) to produce a new breed of 'cognitive' neuroscientist who looks at behaviour in the context of wiring and chemicals"

Comment: fun and interesting article on what is going on in the UK market.

You may be interested in the excellent agenda the American Society on Aging has put together for health professionals on a variety of aging topics, including a full day devoted to discussing Brain Health Promotion: The Next Steps.

When are where: September 2nd-5th, in San Francisco, CA. Brain Health Promotion day is September 5th.

To check the full agenda: Click here.

To register: Register Now (early registration until August 25th).

I will be participating in three sessions. Please let me know if you are attending, we may be able to organize a SharpBrains lunch on Friday September 5th.

1) How Change Makers Like You Can Contribute to the Future of Brain Health

September 5th, 9.00-10.30 am

Neuroscience, and cognitive science in general, are coming to a fundamentally new understanding of the lifelong plasticity of the brain and what aging means. This presents tremendous opportunities, and challenges, to anyone caring for other people's brains (on top of their own). In this session, we will provide an overview of the research and market trends that may affect brain health in the next five to ten years, will explore new roles to serve our communities coupled with the need to reinvent existing ones, and will help navigate the increased number of brain heath options today.

Learning Objectives

Participants in this session will: 1. Develop a shared understanding of research and market trends to help prepare for what’s next. 2. Predict the evolution of new roles to serve our communities, involving new professions and industries and reinventing existing ones. 3. Provide an overview of the opportunities and challenges of choosing among an increased number of brain heath options, and how to spot quality.

Presenter: Alvaro Fernandez.

2) Creating Brain Health Programs on a Small Budget

September 5th, 3.00-4.30 pm

Brain health classes have evolved throughout the country for the past 15 years. This moderated panel discussion will introduce and explore some of the current model programs and provide take-away information for developing and strengthening local low-cost brain health programs.

Learning Objectives

Participants in this session will be able to: 1. Identify elements that contribute to a quality low-cost brain health program. 2. Understand the importance of well-rounded brain health programs that include more than classroom experience. 3. Define solutions to overcoming barriers to program attendance.

Presenters: Nancy Ceridwyn, MA, American Society on Aging; Terry Englehart, Senior Center Without Walls; Alvaro Fernandez, MBA, MA, CEO and Founder, SharpBrains; Hope Levy, MA, MA, There’s Always Hope Consulting and City College of San Francisco.

3) Teaching Brain Fitness in Your Community

September 4th, 1.30-4.30pm

Media coverage from the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and PBS has reported on a new wave in brain health programs for older adults. What are you provid-ing in your site? This session will give you a sampling of a model brain health series that you can conduct in your site. It will introduce you to the science of brain fitness, including many engaging brain exercises to do individu-ally or in a group. Exercise Your Brain: New Brain Research and Implications has been taught at several dif-ferent Bay Area locations including the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes.

Learning Objectives

As a result of this intensive, participants will: 1. Understand the four pillars of brain health and three key principles behind effective brain exercise. 2. Build a repertoire of easy-to-do exercises, both individually and in a group setting. 3. Be able to explain to their communities why the field of brain fitness is growing, and how it will affect the fields of health and wellness.

Presenter: Alvaro Fernandez. 

When are where: September 2nd-5th, in San Francisco, CA. Brain Health Promotion day is September 5th.

To check the full agenda: Click here.

To register: Register Now (early registration until August 25th).

A few colleagues and I just had an interesting exchange on the recent article at The Atlantic, Is Google Making Us Stupid?, which basically blamed Google for literally rewiring our brains into more stupid brains (not being able to pay attention, read deep books...) based on a number of personal anecdotes and a little research. 

My 2 cents: this is a complex topic and we'd first need to clarify the question, before looking for answers to support or refute it. I found the Atlantic article superficial for a meaningful conversation, with its title and main premise making little sense: Google can not makes us stupid, in the same way that guns don't make us violent or pens don't make us good writers.

Readers have contributed a good number of haikus on brain-related topics. Below you have my  Favorite 7, and many other fun ones...which ones do you like the most?

Also, Can you write a haiku describing anything crossing your mind now? Remember the simple rules: write 3 lines, which don't need to rhyme, containing 5,7, and 5 syllables. You can leave your haiku as a comment for extra points...

My Favorite 7 Brain and Mind Haikus

- Techne, the philosopher, wonders:

Solve the big questions:
How do I know when I know?
Who knows the knower?

- Steve, the environmentalist, requests:

Neuroplastic good.
Plastic, though lasts forever.
Always recycle!

- GTB, the skeptic, says

Haiku's are easy
But sometimes they don't make sense
Refrigerator

- Millie, the spiritual, suggests:

Playing music feeds
my soul while reading music
nurtures my old brain.

- Mark,  the optimist, reflects:

I thought I did well
Then I reviewed my answers
I am retard

- jolovli, the boomer, tries again:

improving function
smoked too much weed in college
it's never too late

- Lloyd, the stressed-out, volunteers:

I thought so damn Hard.
My brain built lots of pressure.
I farted out loud.

Enjoy the many other good ones: 

- Terry says: 

New information
Synthesizing my knowledge
A forward movement

- Frank says:

Painfully easy
Significantly harder
Mental stimulus

- Chuck says:

This was fun, and no,
I don't intend to haiku.
Thanks for posting it

- Sarah says:

finding your teasers
added fun to my morning,
helped wake my brain up  

- Lorraine says:

teaching math is fun
when you find great resources
sharp brains is the place

- Psalm says

As my mind expands,
it grasps new ideas...oh look
there's something shiny!!

- anon writes

the noon hour portends
a burrito with salsa
brightening my tongue

- Mike says

See I think I see
Here now, not so - really real?
Wounded, mind leaves me

- Lisa

new thoughts activate
frontal lobe work hard, harder
no senility  

- Karen

Brain training others
Like watching the Earth open
One thought at a time

- Bruce

My brain stem works hard,
But the tests are much harder,
Need more grey matter

- Alvaro

Can perform better,
Learning, training, and practice
Body, brain and mind

- terri

strokes take speech away
someone should find a quick fix
everyone needs to speak

- qt

Aha, a challenge
for the brain to endeavour
sooner than later

- Stacy

Brain hurts so badly
Working night shift: not so fun
Need to get some sleep

- camper