choice overload

Why do we get overwhelmed when we have too many choices? Should we make our own decisions or copy other people's? And how can Angela manage her sock inventory?

• SOURCES:
  • Arie Kruglanski, professor of psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park.
  • Katy Milkman, professor of operations, information, and decisions at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Sylvia Plath, 20th-century American novelist and poet.
  • Barry Schwartz, professor of social theory and social action at Swarthmore College.
  • Herbert Simon, professor of computer science and psychology at Carnegie Mellon University.
  • Will Smith, actor and film producer.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Choice Deprivation, Choice Overload, and Satisfaction with Choices Across Six Nations," by Elena Reutskaja, Nathan N. Cheek, Barry Schwartz, et al. (Journal of International Marketing, 2021).
  • Will, by Will Smith with Mark Manson (2021).
  • "Can’t Decide What to Stream? Netflix’s New Feature Will Choose for You," by Katie Deighton (The Wall Street Journal, 2021).
  • The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, by Barry Schwartz (2004).
  • "The Tyranny of Choice," by Barry Schwartz (Scientific American, 2004).
  • "Maximizing Versus Satisficing: Happiness Is a Matter of Choice," by Barry Schwartz, Andrew Ward, John Monterosso, Sonja Lyubomirsky, Katherine White, and Darrin R. Lehman (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2002).
  • "Self-Determination: The Tyranny of Freedom," by Barry Schwartz (American Psychologist, 2000).
  • "To 'Do the Right Thing' or to 'Just Do It': Locomotion and Assessment as Distinct Self-Regulatory Imperatives," by Arie Kruglanski, Erik P. Thompson, E. Tory Higgins, M. Nadir Atash, Antonio Pierro, James Y. Shah, and Scott Spiegel (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2000).
  • "Rational Choice and the Structure of the Environment," by Herbert Simon (Psychological Review, 1956).
  • Administrative Behavior, by Herbert Simon (1947).

• EXTRA:
  • "Do You Mind if I Borrow Your Personality?" by No Stupid Questions (2022).
  • "How Much Should We Be Able to Customize Our World?" by No Stupid Questions (2021).
  • "Are You a Maximizer or a Satisficer?" by No Stupid Questions (2020).
  • Cars.com Superbowl Ad (2009).

An abundance of choices is a good thing, right? In the United States, where choice is often equated with freedom and control, the answer tends to be a resounding 'yes.' But researchers say the relationship between choice and happiness isn't always so clear-cut. This week, we talk with psychologist Sheena Iyengar about making better decisions, and how she's thinking about the relationship between choices and control during the coronavirus pandemic.

A legend in the field, economic psychologist Barry Schwartz talks about how having too many options can be paralytic and tiresome to the human psyche. Schwartz also discusses the destructive force of an “only the best will do” mentality. We contemplate the implications of these concepts across topics like parenting consumerism, creativity, the prevalence of dissatisfaction in the modern world and what we can do to help ourselves. 

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