Choice and (small) Change
We have had to battle for getting freedom of choice. There used to be just very few people who had a real choice. They were typically called emperors. In this sense, I am somewhat imperial. So are you. Some of you a bit more. Others a lot less. I am hoping for you that it is the former (it can't hurt to have friends in high places ;-).
Some believe we have too much choice. It should not surprise that this comes from people who believe we human beings are, all in all, not very bright. They might well believe as well choice should be reserved for a few emperors. Not me. I believe, as others do, that even the best emperor would get stuck at a view of racks with ten or more brands of olive oil.
To me, the problem is that the amount of options isn't adapted to our real situation. Choosing has an associated cost. We hit a mental wall when the amount of options pushes that cost beyond what we feel is adequate. Suddenly we are no longer free to choose. We feel obliged to choose. The result is that we do not choose - we just go 'with the flow'. Some people call this 'risk-averse' but it just is common sense.
The bottom-line is that mostly we go for small change. Which, in the bigger picture, isn't necessarily a good thing.
I am not talking about olive oil here, but about life choices. Choice of education - or of career. That sort of thing. Playing it safe may be the best local choice but it is not the best global choice. Definitely not. Just check what's filed in your memory under the category of 'remorse'. Maybe try 'hindsight' as well.
If I'm right the problem lies not with those who choose. The problem is with the way in which choice is presented. There are two ways in which choice is not adapted to our real situation:
- we are not informed about what the outcome of options means to us,
- we have to make big bets we really cannot afford to get wrong, at all.
Solutions? Not that easy. The good fact of progress is that complexity of choices is growing. We shouldn't stop that, it's what we collectively want. Unfortunately, for us individually, we can't really keep pace.
The only thing to do is to match the progress in the quantity of choice with progress in the quality of choosing. Inform people better by playing out the consequences of choice. Allow a more organic interaction via small bets where failures aren't as life-threatening. Both will make us less shy, without turning us into computers. After all, we invented computers to help us make calculations, not to worship the calculating mindset ;-).