by Parmjit Singh
Multiple choices are among the many factors that drive our modern life and we are often coaxed into believing that more choices mean more happiness and freedom. But is it really true? If that is the case then why is it that in this age of countless choices and unbridled freedom more people are depressed and unhappy? What is really going on? Is there a dark side to having too many choices or does the presence of choices in life, career, consumer products, and relationships exact their own psychological toll on humans?
This and countless and other important questions related to life-satisfaction and psychological well-being are explored in this decidedly readable and insightful book The Paradox of Choice. Barry Schwartz’s book is alive with reason, research and sane advice for consumerists who like to have more choices in almost every conceivable sphere of life. And his advice is simple: more choices can potentially land you in trouble! “As the number of choices grows further, the negatives escalate until we become overloaded. At this point, choice no longer liberates, but debilitates. It might even be said to tyrannize.” (pg. 2)
The Paradox of Choice is laid out in four sections with eleven chapters and it goes into the anatomy of choice-making and its consequences in the form of loss of control, regret and depression. We are often told that added choices can make our life easier. But is it so? Schwartz, however, says that, “A large array of options may discourage consumers because it forces an increase in the effort that goes into making a decision.” Multiples choices are always not that much of a blessing and can be a source of stress and depression because “It is the cumulative effect of these added choices that I think is causing substantial distress,” (pg. 44)
Similarly, “as the number of options increase, the effort required to make a good decision escalates as well, which is one of the reasons that choice can be transformed from a blessing” (pg. 49). Too many choices can lead to cognitive overload. Imagine getting overloaded when you have to make a sound decision. In that case, overwhelming choices that act as potentially debilitating on decision making, lead, in some cases, to regret, indecision and depression. This problem is compounded by our lack of self-knowledge and susceptibility to advertising campaigns as “We probably like to think that we’re too smart to be seduced by such “branding” but we aren’t” (pg. 54). We fall prey to carefully crafted ads in media.
Another problem is that we have “come to seek and accept only the best” (pg. 76). This is called the tendency to ‘maximize’. But how can something be ‘the best’ when there are so many possibilities, when every moment there are new brands and new choices. The pursuit of ‘the best’ becomes a wild goose chase. Just imagine buying MP3 players from one store and then stumbling on a better one for a lesser price in a store on the other end of the mall. How would you feel about it? In this sort of fluid market, can one really aspire to become a maximizer or shoot for the best without running the risk of being dissatisfied and regretful with the decision? Here lies the problem, says Schwartz. Too many options create pressure to make a good decision. Pressure leads to stress and when we are stressed, we can not make good decisions because of too much cognitive noise. Options in this case become counterproductive and “it is certainly possible that choice and maximizing are not independent of each other” (pg. 96).
Contrary to what we expect, though we have “more freedom and autonomy, we don’t seem to be benefiting from it psychologically” (pg. 99). In fact, it is creating misery and unhappiness among people. An important premise of choice is that we can have unlimited control of our life and, “that more control people have, the less helpless, and thus the less depressed, they will be” (pg. 109). But how can we exert control on the outcome when possibilities are limitless. Perhaps that is why people are ever more depressed than they were few decades back where the choices were limited and freedom was not that pervasive. This is a paradox, the central premise of this book. It explores the counter-intuitive shades of human life.
Barry Schwartz charts an important terrain of human life in his book. He lays bare the paradoxes and consequences attendant to unlimited choice and provides a recipe for living a fulfilling life. His advice is simple and summed up in the following points: (1) Choose When to Choose (2) Be a Chooser not a Picker (3) Satisfice more (settle for good enough), maximize less (4) Think about the Opportunity Costs of Opportunity Costs (5) Make your Decisions Non-reversible (6) Practice an “Attitude of Gratitude” (7) Regret Less (8) Anticipate Adaptation (9) Control Expectations (10) Curtail Social Comparison (11) Learn to Love Constraints (pg. 222-236).
The Paradox of Choice is an insightful and well-researched book and should be read by anyone who thinks that in order to be happy one should have unlimited choices. If you are one of those, think again and read this book, it might end up setting you truly free!
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THE PARADOX OF CHOICE
by Barry Schwartz
ISBN: 0060005688; Imprint Ecco
Format: Hardcover; Pages: 288; $23.95;
$36.95(CAN)
Also available as Trade Paperback
