Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman

CoLab Book Club - June 2025

#CoLabBookClub went deep this month with Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. For some it was a new read, for others a refresher. The book is a modern classic in behavioural psychology, packed with insights into how we think. A dense read but well worth the effort.

Overview

 Kahneman, a Nobel Prize-winning psychologist, introduces us to two systems of thinking:
🧠 System 1 – fast, intuitive, emotional
🧠 System 2 – slow, deliberate, logical

The book explores how these systems shape everything from snap judgments to complex decisions. 

Kahneman draws on decades of research to unpack cognitive biases like loss aversion, anchoring, availability bias and the planning fallacy. He also challenges the idea that we’re as rational as we’d like to believe, especially when it comes to decision-making under uncertainty.

Our Key Takeaways

✔️ We’re not as logical as we think - System 1 is useful, but also a bit sneaky.
✔️ Slowing down helps - noticing when to engage System 2 can improve judgment.
✔️ Biases are everywhere - understanding them is the first step to reducing their impact.
✔️ It’s OK to struggle with this book - it’s not a quick read, but it’s full of gold.

Who is it For?

This book is ideal if you’re a coach, facilitator, product person or just someone curious about how the mind works. It’s especially useful for those who design experiences or influence others.

Thank you!

Thanks to Daniel Kahneman for the extraordinary legacy of thought this book represents. Our System 2 thinking is still processing a lot of the ideas.

Big thanks to this month’s CoLabBookClub crew: Alfred Enslin (host!), Angela Zuba, Allan Atkinson, John Allan, Kyla McDonald, Pete Tansey, Peter Bink and Toni Wilson. We went all over the place and it was goooood! Special thanks to Angela for introducing us (or just me?) to “recency bias” too!

#ThinkingFastAndSlow #DecisionMaking #CognitiveBias #Leadership #BookReview