The Invisible Gorilla by Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons

Review: We’re all so attracted to surety—it was refreshing to learn how wrong—and actually how downright dangerous—such surety could be. This book provided a good reminder that our expectations drive much of our perceptions in life—and taking a few moments to consider that we could, in fact, be wrong is time well spent.

The book examines the science behind six illusions that influence how we believe and behave: the illusions of attention, memory, confidence, knowledge, cause, and potential. The title refers to the experiment that asked participants to count the number of passes in a video of a basketball game. While participants were able to count the passes, up to 50% never saw the gorilla that appeared on screen for several seconds. The hypothesis that we see only what we expect to see was supported in several other studies they cover in the book.

The authors take the same approach to the other illusions they’ve identified which supports their conclusion that we think our mental abilities and capacities are much greater than they actually are. They also provide topline practical suggestions in their conclusion which was a helpful way to tie their research to the everyday workplace.