Psychologists Chabris and Simons asked volunteers to watch a 60-second film of a group of students playing basketball and count the number of passes made. About halfway through, a woman dressed in a gorilla outfit slowly moved to centre screen, beat her chest at the camera and strolled away.
Unbelievably, almost half of the volunteers missed the gorilla. The kind of mental illusion that causes people to miss the gorilla can also explain many other things, including why: honest eyewitness testimony can convict innocent defendants or expert money managers suddenly lose billions. This book closely examines the impressions that most profoundly influence our lives and gives practical advice on how we can minimize their negative impact.
