In a provocative new book, the author of The Tipping Point says that our snap judgments and gut feelings deserve to be trusted. And he's got the science to back it up.
What do we think about when we think about thinking?

According to Malcolm Gladwell, a staff writer for The New Yorker, much of the conventional wisdom about how our minds and emotions work is wrong. In his new book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Gladwell introduces a number of thinkers who are crafting a new theory of the mind that could have far-reaching consequences for every area of life: business, government, romance, education, law enforcement, and more.

Like his 2000 bestseller, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Gladwell's new book drills down to the micro level, in this case to explore the science of snap judgments and first impressions. Why are some beneficial and some disastrous? Why are some people better at playing their hunches? To make his case, Gladwell draws on an eclectic range of sources - speed dating, military war games, soft-drink taste tests, art forgeries, movie stars, athletes, and the Herman Miller­ Aeron chair.

The result is a book full of surprise and paradox that will make many readers blink in amazement. Gladwell reaches some unorthodox conclusions, especially for a journalist: "As a society, we are so wedded to the idea that all explanation is good," he says. "We're overcommitted to explaining and rationalization. We've got to accept the mystery of things a bit more."

Properly mystified, we asked Gladwell to explain.

For openers, why the title? What's a "Blink" moment?
I use the phrase to describe rapid cognition and those decisions that instantly bubble up from your unconscious. A gut feeling. I'm very interested in just how quickly we can jump to certain conclusions.