Inside System 1 and System 2

Dr. Esther Hattingh

Welcome back to Thinking Fast and Slow. I’m Dr. Esther Hattingh. We’re going to dig a little deeper into how we think—specifically, what Kahneman calls System 2, or, as he sometimes puts it, the “lazy controller.” Now, if you listened to our last episode, you’ll remember we talked about how System 1 is fast, automatic, and, well, a bit impulsive, while System 2 is slow, effortful, and deliberate. But here’s the thing—System 2 doesn’t really like to get involved unless it absolutely has to. It’s like that colleague who only shows up when there’s a crisis, otherwise just letting things run on autopilot.

Dr. Esther Hattingh

Kahneman points out that System 2 thinking actually demands a lot of self-control. It’s not just about solving a tough maths problem or making a big decision; it’s about resisting temptations, too. And, honestly, most of us would rather not engage it unless we’re in a special state—like what psychologists call “flow.” That’s when you’re so absorbed in what you’re doing, everything else just fades away. No effort needed to stick to the task, you’re just in it. But, let’s be real, most of the time, life is full of distractions, and paying attention is hard work.

Dr. Esther Hattingh

Now, this brings us to ego depletion. It’s a fancy term for what happens when your mental energy gets drained. If you’re busy thinking hard all day, you’ve got less willpower left to resist that chocolate bar or, you know, impulsive online shopping. Kahneman uses the classic marshmallow test to illustrate this. You might’ve heard of it—the experiment where kids are offered one marshmallow now or two if they can wait fifteen minutes. Some kids distract themselves, cover their eyes, anything to avoid eating the marshmallow. About a third manage to wait, and, interestingly, those kids tend to do better on intelligence tests and even in life later on.

Dr. Esther Hattingh

I actually saw something similar in a corporate training I ran a few years ago. We’d been brainstorming for hours, everyone’s brains were fried, and when we finally took a break, people just dove into the snacks—no hesitation. It’s like, the more mentally busy you are, the less willpower you’ve got left. Kahneman’s point is that System 2 is lazy for a reason—it’s trying to conserve energy, so it rarely contradicts System 1 unless something really doesn’t add up. And, you know, that’s not always a bad thing, but it does mean we’re more vulnerable to making snap decisions when we’re tired or distracted.

Dr. Esther Hattingh

So, if System 2 is the lazy controller, what’s System 1 up to while it’s in charge? Well, Kahneman calls it the “associative machine.” Basically, System 1 works by making connections—sometimes really odd ones—between ideas, words, and experiences. Most of this happens without us even realizing it. There’s this fascinating set of studies on priming, where just being exposed to certain words or images can change how we behave. For example, students who did a crossword puzzle with words like “gray” or “wrinkle”—all these elderly-themed words—actually walked more slowly afterward. Isn’t that wild? Just a few words, and suddenly your body’s acting older.

Dr. Esther Hattingh

Kahneman shares other examples, too, where a seemingly harmless stimulus—like a word or a picture—can nudge our thoughts or actions in a particular direction. It’s all happening under the surface, and we’re usually none the wiser. This makes me wonder, are our everyday choices really as automatic as Kahneman suggests? I mean, as an educator, I see this all the time—students respond to subtle cues in the classroom, sometimes without even knowing it. And for managers, it’s a reminder that the environment you create can have a huge impact on how people behave, even if you’re not giving explicit instructions.

Dr. Esther Hattingh

It’s a bit unsettling, honestly, to think about how much of what we do is shaped by these unconscious associations. But it’s also empowering, in a way—if we know about it, we can design better learning environments, workplaces, even our own habits. Still, I might be getting ahead of myself. Where was I going with this? Oh right—System 1 is always running in the background, making connections, and sometimes those connections lead us astray.

Dr. Esther Hattingh

Now, let’s talk about cognitive ease and strain. This is one of my favorite concepts from Kahneman, because it explains so much about why we fall for things that aren’t true. Cognitive ease is that feeling you get when something just seems familiar or effortless—like reading a statement in a big, bold font. Your brain goes, “Ah, this is easy, must be true.” But if the same statement is in a tiny, faint font, suddenly it feels harder to process, and you’re more likely to question it. It’s not about the content, it’s about how it’s presented.

Dr. Esther Hattingh

This has real-world consequences. Think about advertising, or even misinformation online. If something looks easy to read or is repeated often enough, we’re more likely to believe it—even if it’s false. Kahneman’s experiments show that when we’re in a state of cognitive ease, System 1 is happy to accept the intuitive answer, even if it’s wrong. But when we experience cognitive strain, System 2 gets called in, and we’re more likely to spot errors or question what we’re seeing.

Dr. Esther Hattingh

There’s an interesting contrast here with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s theory of flow, which is all about finding that sweet spot where your skills match the challenge and you’re fully engaged. Kahneman, on the other hand, is more focused on how our intuitions can fail us, especially when we’re too comfortable or on autopilot. Both perspectives are valuable—flow shows us the potential for optimal experience, while Kahneman reminds us to be wary of the pitfalls when things feel too easy.

Dr. Esther Hattingh

So, as we wrap up today’s episode, just remember—sometimes the things that feel easiest are the ones we should question the most. And if you find yourself reaching for that extra snack after a long day of thinking, well, you’re in good company. Next time, we’ll keep exploring how these systems shape our lives and what we can do to make better decisions. Thanks for joining me, and I’ll see you in the next episode.