The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less

When you decide to buy a microwave oven, you go to the store. There you find out they come in simple models, with a grill, with grill and convection, built-in or freestanding, black, white, orange. You start searching online for details and read articles about how the magnetron works to understand what power you need to reheat soup. You ask your friends for advice on which brand to buy. Armed with new knowledge, you return to the store and learn that there are cost-effective models with an extended warranty, and models with free delivery…

Constant choice tires you out. We’re used to the idea that the more choices we have, the better, but in reality it’s not true. Abundance harms us, and obsession with choice makes us feel unhappy.

Psychologist Barry Schwartz studied this phenomenon and came up with 11 simple steps that help you not waste too much time choosing anything, from a mortgage to a dessert in a café. In an easy and humorous form, the author points out the nuances of our everyday life and divides people into maximizers and satisficers. He conducted research to make our lives easier and help us avoid the trap of abundance.

You’ll learn how to:

– not regret a purchase or an order in a café;

– stop comparing yourself with others;

– reduce choice to the two most important options;

– save yourself a huge amount of time for truly important things.

Barry Schwartz is a psychologist and professor of social theory and social action at Swarthmore College, and a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He has spoken at TED Talks and collected 17 million views. He writes academic papers at the intersection of psychology and economics.