I'd like the orange one please...
“These are momentous times for the British potato crisp.” And that’s the delectable start to “The tyranny of choice: You choose”, a great article that touches on the behaviourial science behind making choices in a world where – doggone it all! – there are just too many options.
The basic premise to the piece is that the sheer exhaustive number of possibilities that the average North American has at their disposal makes choosing just one, well, paralyzing. Witness the typical stroll in Shopper’s Drug Mart looking for say… toothpaste. Who hasn’t been stricken dumb by the options, mouth agape? i.e. Tartar control! Whitening! Natural! Organic! Natural AND organic! With fluoride! Without fluoride! Bourbon-flavoured! Anti-calculus! (I must have been using this last one my whole life judging by my math grades).
The funny thing is that sometimes, providing more choice can result in no choice at all. A Californian study showed that shoppers, faced with multiple varieties of a product, were much less likely to make a purchase when the number of varieties increased. Moreover, other examples show increased satisfaction when choice was made from smaller selection samples – this was particularly shocking given the sample in question was chocolate.
What does this all mean? Essentially, too much choice reduces us to a state of torpor, where we’re rendered immobilized and anxiety-ridden all at the same time. Basically, while some choice is good, this doesn’t mean that more choice is actually better, as expressed by Barry Schwartz in his TED treatise “The Paradox of Choice”.
Psychologically speaking, it seems we’re better wired for a simpler and perhaps more binary type of existence, as opposed to the infinite decision tree that confronts us upon walking out the front door, wallet in hand. As per one commenter on the site: “I am constantly stressed about taking the wrong choices in life. I wish I had been born a peasant in the middle ages. Tend your field, get married, have kids and die. No social mobility, no options. Easier life. Voila.”
P.S. The idea of choice overload can be traced back to Aristotle, Ortega, and the French philosopher Jean Buridan, who theorized that an organism faced with the choice of two equally tempting options, such as a donkey between two piles of delicious hay, would delay the choice. This is sometimes referred to as the problem of “Buridan’s ass”, as the ass, not able to choose between the two, supposedly dies of hunger. Poor little not so bright guy – he must’ve been using anti-calculus toothpaste too.
simonandfinn 
Funny!!! I wonder if that’s why kids are so opposed to trying new things (food or toothpaste wise). And where can I find Bourbon flavored toothpaste?!!!
Believe it or not there actually IS bourbon flavoured toothpaste.. Toothpaste World, website extraordinaire, showcases the many possibilities available to you here: http://www.toothpasteworld.com/highlights.php The byline you ask? “The refreshing morning-after pick up”. P.S. That’s interesting about kids.. I hadn’t thought of that aspect. The article actually does touch on the darker side of too much choice for younger generations in that this lends itself to a generation of “pickers” as opposed to choosers, and the implication is that people will have much more trouble sticking to decisions going forward.
toothpaste-flavored chocolate???Unless of cosrue you mean choclolate flavored like the toothpaste that has been flavored like chocolate; in which case I’ve seen it too! :DBut seriously, you’d actually eat a toothpaste-bar?
Hi Tkachyov! Yes, toothpaste flavoured like chocolate.. I wouldn’t touch chocolate flavoured like toothpaste! Not so tasty.. 🙂
Interesting, indeed we are overwhelmed with too many options in life, does it make our existence more fulfilling or more challenging? We have gone beyond simple pleasures! Well I must go get some coffee, mmm should I have dark, medium or house blend? Flavored or non flavored, small or large, non-fat, 2% or skimmed….arrgh so many decisions first thing in the morning!
Lol! My vote is for more challenging. And yes! Coffee is one of the worst offenders.. it’s pretty much coffee cruelty given how muzzy-headed one is first thing in the morning.
You are so funny AND brilliant! – in my humble opinion 🙂
Great analysis, and well written too – plus pictures! It’s perfect.
How many options were you faced with when you needed to choose the topic for this intallment of S&F?!? And how did you finally decide? I think perhaps it doesn’t really matter as long as you are happy with the choice you made and are not looking back and sideways with envy and longing at any number of the other choices you could have made.
P.S. I laughed outloud – especially at the punchline slide! It reminded me of someone I know. Awesome.
Ok Maggie, that was pretty funny – and astute. Why yes! Each S&F blog is the product of agonizing decision-making over the thousands of other possible topics.. but, when the decision is finally made, hallelujah!! (although there are few “saved drafts”, aka hallmarks of posts not taken). And thank you so much for the kind compliments.. so nice to hear!