There are two systems of thinking - System 1 and System 2.
System 1: Fast, Automatic, Frequent, Emotional, Stereotypic, Subconscious
- Characteristics: It operates automatically and quickly, with little or no effort and no sense of voluntary control. It’s driven by intuition and automatic processes.
- Functions: Recognizes familiar patterns, makes quick judgments, and can often be driven by emotions and Biases. It’s responsible for first impressions, gut reactions, and immediate understanding.
- Limitations: While System 1 is efficient, it can lead to cognitive biases and systematic errors in thinking because it relies on heuristics (mental shortcuts). It’s also the system that’s more influenced by stereotypes and less likely to engage in deep analysis.
System 2: Slow, Effortful, Infrequent, Logical, Calculating, Conscious
- Characteristics: Allocates attention to the effortful mental activities that demand it, including complex computations. The operations of System 2 are often associated with the subjective experience of agency, choice, and concentration.
- Functions: Engages in deliberate reasoning, complex thinking, and conscious decision-making. It’s used for analyzing situations, performing difficult computations, and evaluating decisions before acting.
- Limitations: System 2 is more reliable but requires more energy and cannot be engaged constantly. As a result, it’s often lazy, and people default to System 1 unless the situation clearly calls for more thorough thinking.
Kahneman’s central thesis is that System 1 is more influential than we may realize or wish to admit, guiding much of our behavior and judgment. System 2, while capable of correcting the impulses and biases of System 1, often endorses the suggestions of System 1 without much scrutiny. This interplay can explain many of the cognitive biases and errors that occur in our thinking and decision-making processes.
The notion that we use System 1 more frequently is based on the idea that our daily life mostly consists of routine actions and decisions that don’t require the rigorous, analytical approach of System 2. This efficiency allows us to function without exhausting ourselves with constant analysis. However, it’s also why we can be prone to errors and biases, as System 1 often takes shortcuts that can lead to less rational outcomes.