The slow, deliberate, effortful mode of thinking that allocates attention to complex computations, self-control, and conscious reasoning.
System 2 handles demanding mental activities like comparing products on multiple attributes, solving complex math problems, and monitoring behavior in social situations. It has limited capacity and can only process one demanding task at a time. Crucially, System 2 is 'lazy'—it requires significant effort and energy, so it typically accepts System 1's suggestions unless there's an obvious problem. This laziness explains why intelligent people make predictable errors: System 2 doesn't engage unless prompted, and even then, it looks for the easiest acceptable answer rather than the correct one.
When you encounter the problem 'A bat and ball cost $1.10. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?', System 1 suggests 10 cents. Only by engaging System 2 do you calculate the correct answer: 5 cents.
System 2 can be trained to always override System 1—actually, System 2 is inherently lazy and will default to System 1 unless explicitly prompted.
True or False: With sufficient training and practice, System 2 can be conditioned to automatically override System 1's intuitive responses, eliminating cognitive biases.
Why does System 2 fail to catch the error in the bat-and-ball problem ('A bat and ball cost $1.10. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?') even in intelligent people?
The fast, automatic, intuitive mode of thinking that operates effortlessly and generates impressions, intuitions, and feelings without conscious control.
Mental ModelJudging the frequency or probability of events by how easily examples come to mind, leading to overestimation of vivid or recent events.
Mental ModelJudging probability by how much something resembles a typical case while ignoring base rates, sample size, and statistical principles.
Mental ModelThe tendency to rely too heavily on an initial piece of information (the anchor) when making subsequent judgments, even when the anchor is arbitrary or irrelevant.
Mental ModelThe principle that losses loom psychologically larger than equivalent gains, with losing something feeling roughly twice as bad as gaining the same thing feels good.
PrincipleA descriptive model of decision-making under risk showing that people evaluate outcomes relative to a reference point, are loss-averse, and weight probabilities non-linearly.
FrameworkSystem 1's tendency to construct the most coherent story possible from currently available information without considering what's missing or questions not asked.
PrincipleThe systematic tendency to underestimate how long tasks will take, how much they'll cost, and what risks they face, due to focusing on the specific plan rather than similar projects.
PrincipleThe slow, deliberate, effortful mode of thinking that allocates attention to complex computations, self-control, and conscious reasoning.
When you encounter the problem 'A bat and ball cost $1.10. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?', System 1 suggests 10 cents. Only by engaging System 2 do you calculate the correct answer: 5 cents.
System 2 can be trained to always override System 1—actually, System 2 is inherently lazy and will default to System 1 unless explicitly prompted.
System 2 Thinking is explored in depth in "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman. Distilo provides a deep AI-powered analysis with key insights, audio narration, and practical frameworks.