The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less

By Cledwyn Fernandez. 2017

938 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Whether we're buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long-distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a 401(k), everyday decisions-both big and small-have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented. As Americans, we assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But beware of excessive choice: choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision-making paralysis, anxiety, and perpetual stress. And, in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression. In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains at what point choice-the hallmark of individual freedom and self-determination that we so cherish-becomes detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz shows how the dramatic explosion in choice-from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs-has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution. Schwartz also shows how our obsession with choice encourages us to seek that which makes us feel worse. By synthesizing current research in the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counter intuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. He offers eleven practical steps on how to limit choices to a manageable number, have the discipline to focus on those that are important and ignore the rest, and ultimately derive greater satisfaction from the choices you have to make.

Subfields: Economics and Econometrics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/fc7474c5a054cc1024278cfb299fb3d42acbc520

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Economics and Econometrics

Citations in the corpus

A short form of the Maximization Scale: Factor structure, reliability and validity studies (2008, background): “But the Maximizing Scale, especially as discussed by Schwartz et al. (2002) and elaborated by Schwartz (2004) , seems to imply that they are.”
How does product program innovativeness affect customer satisfaction? A comparison of goods and services (2011, background): “As the number of choices grows further, negatives escalate until we become overloaded” (Schwartz 2004, p. 2). That is, the greater the innovativeness of goods, the more likely customers are to become overwhelmed by the related complexity (e.g., Schwartz 2004; Schwartz et al. 2002), which produces ”
Freedom from ownership: An exploration of access-based consumption (2016, background): “When consumers desire choice options, yet feel overwhelmed by the number of choices available, they may choose to postpone purchase, abandon the purchase or seek additional information (Schwartz, 2004; Matzler, Waiguny, & Fuller, 2007).”
The Influence of Product Variety on Brand Perception and Choice (2007, background): “This basic assumption has been challenged by recent research that has raised doubts about the wisdom of offering consumers many options to choose from (e.g., Iyengar and Lepper 2000; Schwartz 2004).”
On the meaning and measurement of maximization (2016, neutral): “There is more choice in the world than ever before, and the modern explosion of choice can have both positive and negative consequences for consumers (e.g., Broniarczyk & Griffin, 2014; Chernev, Böckenholt, & Goodman, 2015; Iyengar & Lepper, 2000; Schwartz, 2000, 2004, 2010).”
The time-harried shopper: Exploring the differences between maximizers and satisficers (2009, methodology): “Contradictory evidence suggests that increasing the number of choice options makes consumer decisions more cumbersome and complex, potentially leading to information overload, confusion, and dissatisfaction (Botti and Iyengar 2006; Broniarczyk et al. 1998; Huffman and Kahn 1998; Jacoby et al. 1974; ”
A Design Space for Effective Privacy Notices (2015, background): “Controls need to be designed well in order to not overwhelm the user with choices [115].”