Paradox of Choice (hers)

I doubt many Americans would have difficultly agreeing with the following three statements:

1.  Human freedom is good.
2.  Freedom means more choices.
3.  More choices means more well-being.

What if I were to tell you that many Positive Psychologists only agree with statement #1?

How can this be?  The belief that more choices lead to more happiness forms the foundation of not only our economic system but also our decision making.  We constantly seek more choices while continuing to fine-tune our ability to make the best decision.  100 kinds of TVs?  Good.  175 varieties of salad dressing?  Great.  The choice to work anywhere at any time?  Incredible.

Or is it?  Positive Psychologist Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness, and psychologist Barry Schwartz, author of Paradox of Choice, say, "No, it isn't."  Through two TED Talks on the conundrum of choice, the finding that increased choice can lead to dissatisfaction and depression is brought to light.

Dr. Schwartz suggests that increased choice creates inaction and decreased satisfaction.  In a statistical analysis of voluntary retirement plan packages offered by a major bank, for every additional 10 options a company offers to its employees, employee enrollment decreases 2%.  As the decision becomes more complicated, we often choose not to choose.

Dr. Schwartz summarizes the four steps of decreased satisfaction brought about by more choices:

1.  Anxiety
After making a decision, we become anxious and second guess ourselves, wondering if we made the right choice.

2.  Loss

After making a decision and then second guessing it, we imagine the good aspects of the things we didn't choose.  Economists call this "opportunity costs," or the feeling of giving up what you didn't choose for what you did (see comic).

3.  Disappointment
After making a decision, second guessing it, and imagining what we could've chosen, we enlarge our expectations.  Perfection becomes our goal since there are so many choices, and if our choice isn't perfectly fulfilling, we're disappointed with it.

4.  Self-blame
After making a decision, second guessing it, imagining what we should've chosen, and believing we made the wrong one, we blame ourselves.  If you only had one choice and it didn't make you happy, you blamed your environment.  But with hundreds of options, who can we blame but ourselves? Dr. Schwartz believes this is at the core of increasing rates of depression in the United States.

So more is…worse?

Positive Psychologist Daniel Gilbert believes increased choice undermines our ability to "synthesize happiness," a fundamental component of human well-being.  "Synthesizing happiness" is what we do when we don't get what we want.  Didn't get the job you wanted?  "Ah, I'm better off without it."  Your really fun and attractive date never called you?  "We never would have made it."  Didn't take that big vacation?  "It would've made me even more stressed than I am now!"

That is called "synthesized happiness," and while most of us would silently mock these "synthesizers," studies show that they're just as effective as getting that job, going on that second date, or taking that vacation.  People are shown to be just as happy after synthesizing as they are after achieving what they wanted.

Increased choice, however, prevents synthesizing.  Instead of making the best of your new situation, you're stuck searching for a better situation from the always available pool of choices.  Choice, ironically, makes us even more stuck than we would've been with fewer choices.

Techniques we can use to prevent this dissatisfaction is limiting our exposure to additional choices.  Instead of viewing that additional page of movies on Netflix, choose the best from the small selection you have, and you'll be just as happy.

We can also stick with the choices we do make.  One of Bob's close friends used to say, "When you purchase something, stop shopping."  Purchase the non-refundable hotel dates, don't switch your selection mid-movie, and be happy with your order of spaghetti.

And in the end, you'll find that more freedom may be found in less choices.

TED Talk:  Paradox of Choice, by Barry Schwartz
TED Talk:  Why are we Happy?, by Daniel Gilbert