Illusions aren't just optical

I read books about thinking - not only what we think but why we think the way we do. I loved How to Think by Alan Jacobs, and when an author I like recommends other works, I'm interested in checking them out. One of his recommendations was Thinking Fast and Slow by Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman.

Kahneman proposes that we have two systems that comprise our thinking. System 1 is the fast one. It's the system that kicks in when we jump to conclusions, know how to get through a sticky traffic situation without consciously being aware of what we are doing, and the source of intuition. System 2 is the slow one. This system requires far more mental energy and engages when we are in a situation that causes us to pause and deliberate. These systems have strengths and weaknesses and rely on one another at different times but not always in the best way. Because System 2 takes more effort, it is lazy and would sooner go along with the gut reaction of System 1. This only works when System 1's first impression is right.  Just as we are fooled by optical illusions, we can be fooled by cognitive or mental ones too.

As an example of this, the author relates a story from his graduate days. when an instructor told the class:

"You will from time to time meet a patient who shares a disturbing tale of multiple mistakes in his previous treatment. He has been seen by several clinicians, and all failed him. The patient can lucidly describe how his therapists misunderstood him, but he has quickly perceived that you are different. You share the same feeling, are convinced that you understand him, and will be able to help." At this point my teacher raised his voice as he said, "Do not even think of taking on this patient! Throw him out of the office! He is most likely a psychopath and you will not be able to help him."¹

Does this sound extreme, harsh, and even cruel to you? Do you feel sympathy for the poor patient who has received the wrong treatment time and time again? But if you had experienced abuse, I bet there were internal alarms going off.  This behavior is called psychopathic charm, and an expert in psychopathy confirmed the instructor's advice. It is also called "grooming," which is the modus operandi of an abuser.

This is one example of how first impressions can lead us astray depending on our life experiences, which is the first source we draw upon. It takes effort to not fall back on what comes easiest to our minds or even how we would like things to be. Optical illusions can give us headaches. Illusions in our thinking can potentially harm us. Knowing the difference between perception, which is not infallible, and reality is good thinking and, to use its biblical name, wisdom.

Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman, Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2011, pp. 27-28