The two systems of the brain: System 1 and System 2
Kahneman quoted the early psychologists Gise Stanovich and Richard West as proposing The concept divides human consciousness into two sets of thinking systems, namely System 1 and System 2.
"System 1" refers to the unconscious, fast-thinking way of thinking, which is a kind of unconscious thinking.
In this system, people generally make judgments automatically based on intuition and instinctive reactions, so it is an "automatic thinking system."
Because the way of thinking of "System 1" is as simple as a lizard, later sociologist Jim Cummings named this system "Lizard Brain". This is "thinking fast".
"System 2" is a way of thinking that reaches conclusions through careful consideration and various rational judgments and analyses. It is a kind of conscious thinking.
Therefore, "System 2" is also called the "reflective thinking system". However, because the thinking process is certainly not as fast as instinctive reaction, "System 2" reaches conclusions more slowly than "System 1", so we call it "slow thinking."
For example, when we see a person with a smile on his face, our "System 1" will react like this immediately: "Look, this person is smiling. He is so natural and enthusiastic, he must be a good person, and I am willing to make friends with him." However, if you calm down a little, the belated "System 2" will warn us: "No matter what, don't go to the Three Treasures Palace, and know who you are. A seemingly kind person may have other motives, so don’t trust him easily."
The difference between "simple" and "complex" is "System 1" and "System 2" The biggest difference.
In fact, except when sleeping, at other times, "System 1" and "System 2" in our brains go hand in hand and coexist at the same time.
Normally, we rely on "System 1" to deal with problems most of the time. Once "System 1" encounters a problem that is difficult to solve, "System 2" will take action. Help each other and concentrate on helping us deal with problems more calmly and rationally.
Some people may ask, since "System 2" is more rational and accurate than "System 1", why does "System 1" take up more time? This is mainly because in our daily life, most things can be solved using "System 1", such as eating, drinking, sleeping, crying, laughing, playing, getting angry, etc.
These simple things do not require complicated thinking, and you can make judgments and choices just by intuition.
To further refine it, when we are with the people we like, we will laugh, be very talkative and happy; when encountering work difficulties, people will easily fall into trouble and anxiety; see When it comes to ugly-looking people, many people will involuntarily stay away from them, etc. These are all directly solved and dealt with by Kuai Si Si.
Our brains have the innate ability to simplify complex problems.
For example, when driving, the driver will simply process a large amount of knowledge learned in the driving school, and drive with the cooperation of eyes, hands and feet.
When we judge whether a person is a friend, we will not check his educational background, work background, life experience, etc., but think and judge from relatively simple perspectives such as speech and behavior. judge.
When we watch TV, there is no need to study the internal structure of the TV. We only need to know where the switch key is. In short, the reason why System 1 occupies most of our time is, to put it simply, our "brains are afraid of trouble."