Reading Reflection #2
I read Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
1) There are two different ways of thinking that is performed by everyone and these ways of thinking affect how we act and perceive the world
2) This is important to entrepreneurship because the key to getting people to buy your product is knowing how they think. This way you can manipulate them into having a need for whatever it is you are selling. People often make impulse decisions and you can make your product be the thing they buy. We're constantly talking about knowing our customer and making them think that their purchases are their decision. This book would be a perfect impetus for that.
3) There were actually copious exercises in this book for examples on how our brain works and the amount of ordinary effort we put into thinking. My favorite examples though, are sentences that have something wrong with them but our brains won't even register it because we're focusing on another thing or it actually looks totally fine to our minds. For example:
"How many animals of each kind did Moses take on the ark?"
For those of you unfamiliar with this Bible story, it was Noah--not Moses--who brought animals onto an ark, although both are Biblical characters. These exercises prove we are not in control of our minds as much as we think we are and so entrepreneurs can swoop in and benefit from people's thought processes.
4) I had no idea what this book was really about and so when it started talking about thought processes, I rolled my eyes a little. I told myself I was better than these mind traps the author had set out for his reader, but alas, as the examples became too many, I succumbed to them. I had no idea my mind was so influenced by outside sources. It was a little daunting, but very cool. I got a little more insight onto the brain and the thought process, which was not what I though it was like.
1) There are two different ways of thinking that is performed by everyone and these ways of thinking affect how we act and perceive the world
2) This is important to entrepreneurship because the key to getting people to buy your product is knowing how they think. This way you can manipulate them into having a need for whatever it is you are selling. People often make impulse decisions and you can make your product be the thing they buy. We're constantly talking about knowing our customer and making them think that their purchases are their decision. This book would be a perfect impetus for that.
3) There were actually copious exercises in this book for examples on how our brain works and the amount of ordinary effort we put into thinking. My favorite examples though, are sentences that have something wrong with them but our brains won't even register it because we're focusing on another thing or it actually looks totally fine to our minds. For example:
"How many animals of each kind did Moses take on the ark?"
For those of you unfamiliar with this Bible story, it was Noah--not Moses--who brought animals onto an ark, although both are Biblical characters. These exercises prove we are not in control of our minds as much as we think we are and so entrepreneurs can swoop in and benefit from people's thought processes.
4) I had no idea what this book was really about and so when it started talking about thought processes, I rolled my eyes a little. I told myself I was better than these mind traps the author had set out for his reader, but alas, as the examples became too many, I succumbed to them. I had no idea my mind was so influenced by outside sources. It was a little daunting, but very cool. I got a little more insight onto the brain and the thought process, which was not what I though it was like.
Julia,
ReplyDeleteAlthough i did not choose to read this book, I got a good sense of it's argument through your post. You did an excellent job linking the reading to the teachings in ENT3003. From your description, this book sounded like an interesting read. Great job summarizing the main points of the text.
Hey Julia!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you read a really interesting book! I think the lessons you are describing are very relatable to our coursework. I thought the exercises you described regarding focus were really interesting as a lack of focus can be disastrous in the business environment. Overall I thought you did really well on this assignment.
Hey Julia, although I did not originally choose your book, your post makes me really want to read it. I thought your perception of the book was great, and you related this book well to this course. In addition to that, thank you so much for adding an example! Your explanations were very clear and interesting to read. Great job!
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