Encounters With The Paradox of Choice
This morning, I asked my daughter to pick up some biscuits from the shops around the corner.?
After forty minutes, she still wasn’t back, so I immediately checked where she was via Find My Friend and then called her to see if everything was Okay.??
Everything was Okay, but…she couldn’t decide what biscuits to bring home.?
She said there was too much choice, and she was getting worked up over whether to get the ones Mum likes best (ginger biscuits) or the ones I prefer (chocolate hobnobs). We finished the call, and she brought home the ginger biscuits (hmph).?
She said she would check before leaving the house next time, but when I told her to get what she wanted, she just told me to get them myself next time.? Fair enough.
Later, I sat down to watch something on Netflix. Incredibly, Netflix is investing 17 billion dollars this year in new content to ensure I can find something I like to watch. But as I scrolled up, down, and across, I could not decide what to watch.? I got close a couple of times but wanted to make sure there wasn’t something better I might be missing out on!??
The longer the dithering goes on, the more irritated I get.? My time is running out.? Netflix is trying really hard to recommend an Avengers film, but I don’t have time for it, and frankly, I’m annoyed that it thinks I might want to watch it just because I like Star Wars (a lot).
Netflix’s algorithm may think it knows what I might like to watch, but it does not know my mood or how my FOMO will play out this afternoon. Frustrated with the choice overload, I made my way to the kitchen and flicked on the radio (I've been locked on BBC Radio 2 for the last twenty years because I got fed up with all that white noise back in the day).?
Luckily, I also don’t have to decide what to cook today as it’s Sunday, and…and well…I just cook what I always cook on a Sunday. Life has taught me that defaulting to routine is easier, and my mood immediately improves.
This well-known phenomenon is known as the paradox of choice , and it is a growing concern in our modern world, where more and more options are becoming readily available to us. The difficulty of knowing what is best increases when the number of choices increases. Instead of increasing our freedom to have what we want, the paradox of choice suggests that having too many choices actually limits our freedom.? It can result in decision fatigue, sticking to the default option, or even avoiding making a decision altogether (as my daughter did this morning with those biscuits).
Choice overload is most likely to happen when deciding on an area we are not knowledgeable enough about. Its effects diminish the more familiar we are with the subject (a professional artist will probably not have a problem choosing which brush to use) as well as with how well-defined our opinion on the subject is (although you might not be an expert on cocktails, you might be familiar enough not to be paralysed by the multitude of options on the menu).
The family dinner conversation was easy today, too.? We chatted about this paradox of choice.? In a short time, we agreed on a list of things where too much choice is (subjectively) frustrating or stressful.? We came up with shoes, handbags, chocolate, body wash, and books (I guess you can read into that list what you will!).
However, the most interesting thing (for me) that came from the table was when one of the kids shared how difficult it was to choose the subjects he would like to study in High School.? It’s interesting as the school has one of the broadest subject offers I’ve ever heard of and is very proud of how much choice students have when selecting what they want to study.??
My first thought was that It had not occurred to me that the school had created such a paradox of choice, and my son’s comment has given me something to ponder. One problem with the paradox is that even when you have made a choice, you may be less satisfied with it than if fewer choices were available.??
I asked him if he was happy with his choices, and he said he enjoyed them. However, he thinks he would have been happier if he had picked other subjects. This plays on his mind quite often, he says, and he worries about being regretful.???
My second thought was wondering about how much friction the school puts in place for students who want to change their choices after they have started them.? In our school, it is fairly easy for students to switch choices, and we want to be as agentic as possible.? However, when I was in school, I remember that there was a limited choice of subjects, and we also had to live with whatever choices we made. This was not very agentic, probably pragmatic, but I cannot remember it being an issue for anyone; it was just how it was, and we got on with it.??
Perhaps the stakes are so much higher these days, or we are putting too much of a premium on the availability of choice without considering the downsides.??
Either way, I will overthink this now as I choose the picture to accompany this post (which I always find harder than writing it!).
Chemistry Teacher and Exams Officer
1 个月It does seem like not only do we have more choices. But also our choices are becoming more 'high stakes'. So fear of making the wrong choice is paralysing. Is our time so precious and wasting time such an awful crime?
Spanish Teacher | Spanish-speaking @ UWC South East Asia
1 个月Hi Damian, I love your articles and your writing style. I can relate to what you describe about feeling overwhelmed by too many options. I work much better—and feel more satisfied—when I have a few choices. For example, when my wife chooses a restaurant or I pick a scent for our candles at Bath and Body Works, are examples of these overwhelming choices. As a middle school teacher, I see firsthand the stress students face when selecting high school subjects. I’m glad our school offers opportunities to change options if students find they're not the best fit. In his last article, Mr. Nick Alchin raises an important point about how prepared people—our students, your daughter, my wife, or myself—are to make informed decisions. We should reflect on whether our middle schoolers have enough, and quality, information about their choices. In one of my previous schools, students had the chance to “taste” different languages before deciding for the next year. While it may be difficult with so many choices, it’s worth considering how we can provide students with quality information for better decision-making.
Talent Acquisition Professional | Recruiter | Executive Search Consultant APAC| Educator for International Curriculum| Financial Consultant & Planner
1 个月This is so true . By having so many choices, you can end up making no choice at all and feeling unhappy and trapped , there is always a fear of making a wrong choice or missing a better choice . For Netflix option , I would just trust my instincts and choose , that would be more satisfying .
Spanish teacher MYP & DP
1 个月Additionally, beyond falling into this paradox of choice—which generates frustration and insecurity from not knowing which decision to make—we also feel anxious about what we might be missing out on. I chose to watch this movie instead of another one, or this cake instead of the other, or this subject instead of that one, and yet I still feel a sense of emptiness. We believe the best option lies elsewhere. What I chose doesn’t satisfy me, not because it isn’t good enough, but because I have the feeling that the other option could be much better.
An optimist dedicated to wellbeing, fostering collaboration, belonging, growth, & curiosity with over 25 years of international experience in education. Leading & building community through connected relationships & SEL.
1 个月This reminds me of the culture shock I experience, even after 25 years of being overseas, when I return to the US and go grocery shopping. Why so many brands/ types of cereal - an entire isle on both sides!? And don’t get me started on standing in Whole Foods stuck with option paralysis.