"as human beings, we are capable of extraordinary leaps of insight and instinct. We can hold a face in memory, and we can solve a puzzle in a flash. But what Schooler is saying is that all these abilities are incredibly fragile. Insight is not a light bulb that goes off inside our heads. It is a flickering candle that can easily be snuffed out." (Gladwell 122)

Researchers were presented insight puzzles to people which were designed so that they couldn't be worked out systematically like a math problem but only by quick recognition. Those who were asked to explain themselves solved 30% fewer problems than those who weren't.

It is quite surprising how our logical methods of thinking and questioning can hinder and interrupt our sense of insight. This seems to go against what we traditionally think. Our society associates insight with careful analysis but instead, this book finds that our ways of reflecting upon situations can snuff out the flickering candle, in other words silence our moments of revelation.

The book shows a great example of what our instinct and insight are capable of.

A firefighter commander in Cleveland responded to a routine call about kitchen fire. His team entered the house with their hose and doused the flames, after a few seconds the commander felt that something was wrong and evacuated his men as fast as he could just before the entire house collapsed. It turned out that the fire had originated from deep within the basement and had damaged the frame of the house.

The firefighter was later interviewed by researchers and it was found that certain anomalies such as the high intensity of the heat and the quietness of the large fire had alarmed him. Within a few seconds of stepping into that house, his sub consciousness had effortlessly recognized the risks in the chaos and prompted him to evacuate. Had he stopped and decided to consciously address every problem instead of jumping to his instincts, he and his men would not be alive today.

Our sub-consciousness is capable of amazing feats, but when we stop and try to reflect upon what is happening it can throw our insight off course. I assume its similar to the feeling you get when you think of an amazing idea but it all falls apart when you try to make sense of it. Or when you circle the correct answer in a multiple choice question only to erase and circle a wrong answer after thinking things through carefully. This view contradicts the general belief around the world that the best decisions are the ones that have to be carefully analyzed and thought through. It raises the question of whether the analytical method of approaching problems is really the best way there is and whether we should resort to our instincts more often when facing a tough decision.