The Paradox of Choice

I was wondering how I would go about setting a premise for the following discussion. But I think what an infuriated shopper said to Bill Watterson fits in perfectly:

Look at this peanut butter! There must be three sizes of five brands of four consistencies! Who demands this much choice? I know! I'll quit my job and devote my life to choosing peanut butter! Is "chunky" chunky enough or do I need EXTRA chunky? I'll compare ingredients! I'll compare brands! I'Il compare sizes and prices! Maybe I'll drive around and see what other stores have! So much selection, and so little time!

I want to talk about that confusion when presented with an umpteen number of choices and the confounded selection thereafter.

Having said that, we believe that a central pillar of freedom is ‘choice’. Having choices is empowering and gives oneself the feeling of control and a fair sense of knowing one’s own likes, dislikes and soon, confusion. The advertising campaigns of a few brands and in fact the USP of some are purely based on the possibility of providing an extensive list of options. How good is this for us? Obviously, we want as many options as possible so that we can make the best choice. This is exactly what was contradicted in the book The Paradox of Choice: by Barry Schwartz.?

It states that the people who are offered a limited assortment tend to make choices that are optimal in nature, whereas people who are offered an extensive assortment tend to make choices that are just satisficing in nature. This is to say that, when you have lesser choices, you try to make the best decision with the best possible benefits. But when you have a larger number of choices, you make a choice that is just good enough.?

This is said to be so because of the possible regret that a person thinks they might face in the future because of the outcomes, and the fact in point that there were a large number of choices to be chosen from. It is about being burdened with the responsibility of sorting the right and wrong options in the bracket of personal choice and perception. It is also that when a choice is made from let’s say 6 options as in comparison to a choice made out of 30 options, the feeling of opportunity cost increases substantially for obvious reasons and thus reduces the satisfaction derived out of the decision made. This derives to say that perhaps the feeling of choice overload is accompanied more by decision rules that are associated with affective aspects rather than cognitive ones.

The compass points to ‘choice overload’ or possibly information overload in some contexts. This concept has been argued by a few studies. For e.g. The Decoy Effect. This states that we feel stronger towards a particular option when there are 3 of them rather than two. The Single Choice Aversion by Daniel Mochon states that one might not choose even the best if there are no options put forth to make a comparison. The exceptional moment when this doesn’t seem to play is when a person knows what exactly they want. By doing so, they minimize their choices in an extensive array to a smaller assortment, which now looks like a limited assortment in itself. The provision of extensive choice may feel exciting in the beginning but will also prove to be if not equally, substantially dissatisfying by the end.?

Thus, the recurring empirical finding from these studies is that the provision of choice increases intrinsic motivation and enhances performance on a variety of tasks is to be denied and rather be proven that neither an extensive assortment nor a very limited assortment produces the best results. But indeed, the balance between them both, by finding the magic number, the optimal number of choices to be provided is the probable solution, other than the self-educating one.

In 1830, Alexis de Tocqueville commented "In America, I have seen the freest and best educated of men in circumstances the happiest to be found in the world; yet it seemed to me that a cloud habitually hung on their brow, and they seemed serious and almost sad even in their pleasures”.

Almost two centuries down the line, that freedom donned upon with providence of choice is being questioned, as it deems perfect to be called a paradox, The Paradox of Choice.

Credits: When Choice is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing?, The Paradox of Choice