---
title: Thinking Fast And Slow
date: 2025-10-22T00:00:00
author: Charlie M.
category: SIGNAL
---
So, yeah, the light hits my coffee mug just right this morning, you know? It’s one of those things that makes you pause mid-scroll on Instagram. The mug warmth in my hand against the early chill. I mean, I know there’s this famous book—what’s it called? "Thinking, Fast and Slow," by... I want to say Daniel Kahneman? It's just funny how things drift into mind like that. Just the idea of how we think, you know? Fast, slow, and whatever may be in between.
I was reading about it, or maybe I heard it in a podcast, honestly can’t remember. But it’s about these two systems our brains kind of use. One’s like, quick and instinctive, and the other’s slower—maybe like a very sluggish coffee drip? I’ve got this thing where I’ll just delete Instagram for a while, thinking it’ll help me be more... slow-thinking? Deliberate, I guess. But then, just as quickly, it’s back on my phone. So here we are.
They say System 1 is like your brain on autopilot, fast and intuitive or something, right? Like when I just grab my phone first thing without thinking. But does deleting apps actually wake up the slower, more reflective System 2? Hard to say. I end up questioning if deleting it was a System 1 impulsive act in itself. Weird twist.
I remember reading—or, okay, skimming—how Kahneman explains these cognitive biases. I think it was biases? We jump to conclusions based on the quick, lazy side of our brain, maybe? That sounds judgmental, but... anyway. It’s like, are we even in control when we think we’re thinking? I try to be more aware of these things during my workouts, like noticing if I’m just going through the motions or really in the zone. But then, is getting too caught up in my head just another bias trap? Possible.
It’s wild because sometimes I think, hey, being quick isn’t all bad, right? Like when I have to decide whether to grab an umbrella on my way out. Then again, I often forget and get soaked. So, maybe not the best example. But the slow thinking—System 2—is it really as sharp as it's cracked up to be? I mean, I still can’t decide if the whole slow thinking effort is even effective. Maybe it just makes us analyze things to the point of paralysis.
But there’s this allure, I guess, in understanding how our brains tick. Even if I can’t quite tell if the thinking style helps me get anywhere, especially when I’m just sitting here with my now slightly cooler than it was a minute ago coffee. Does any of this make sense? I’d like to think so, but maybe that’s just System 1 talking. Or System 2? Anyway, it’s not like I’ll stop wondering about it anytime soon.