In our post ‘Kahneman Fast and Slow thinking explained‘ we have elaborated in depth on system 1 and 2 thinking. And Daniel Kahneman’s work. Therefore, this post is meant for those who already grasp the groundbreaking concepts of Kahneman. The concept on human decision making as explained in his book ‘Thinking Fast and Slow‘. However, now and then we need a visual reminder of the differences between system 1 and 2. In short, that is why we have made an overview with the main characteristics of both the system 1 and system 2 operating systems in our brain. By highlighting the differences between the two.
Kahneman: Thinking fast and slow
Thinking Fast and Slow is all about how our brain uses short-cuts to base our decisions upon. For example, one of the short-cuts that have been tested in scientific research is the use of the picture of a brain. For instance, if you use a picture of a brain the system 1 of your listeners will think you are smart. You can use this by putting the visual above on your Keynote slides.
In other words, we thought it was a nice tip before we give you the overview or quick guide. However, it is just one of the examples of how powerful the understanding of system 1 and 2 thinking can be. Therefore, if you start accepting that we are all irrational human beings. Driven by our subconscious. You start to understand how you can influence behaviour without changing minds.
System 1
- Fast
- Unconscious reasoning
- Judgments based on intuition
- Processes information quickly
- Hypothetical reasoning
- Large capacity
- Prominent in humans and animals
- Unrelated to working memory
- Effortlessly and automatically
- Unintentional thinking
- Influenced by experiences, emotions and memories
- Can be overridden by system 2
- Prominent since human origins
- Includes recognition, perception, orientation, etc.
System 2
- Slow
- Conscious reasoning
- Judgments based on examination
- Processes information slowly
- Logical reasoning
- Small capacity
- Prominent only in humans
- Related to working memory
- With effort and control
- Intentional thinking
- Influenced by facts, logic and evidence
- Used when system 1 fails to form a logical/acceptable conclusion
- Developed over time
- Includes rule following, comparisons, weighing of options, etc.
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Especially for you we've created a free eBook 'How to Convince Someone who Believes the Exact Opposite?'. For you to keep at hand, so you can start using the insights from this blog post whenever you want—it is a little gift from us to you.
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