More Options = Unhappiness!
“The worst decision is indecision.” — Ryan Harwood
As our options increase, our decision-making process may take longer, we want to research more and make sure we get or do the right thing.
I was starting to think that our world, the human race, was like play dough. Suddenly I found myself questioning the source of our choices. Then, when I realized that these two thoughts were only doors opening to each other, I tried to research this issue.
Paradox: Which Digital Platform Should I Choose?
Should I subscribe to Netflix, BluTV, AmazonTV or Apple TV? I wonder if I only subscribe to Netflix, will the new episode of my favorite series be released there? I heard that the best foreign movies will be on Amazon TV this year. I wonder if I should subscribe to Amazon TV for a while and then switch to Netflix. My friend Jolie is happy with Netflix, but Julia tried Amazon TV and says, “I’m glad there are many great new series.” It’s been two months and I still haven’t chosen a membership. What would happen if I didn’t become a member? I can watch all the TV series online anyway. Ok, I have made my final decision, I will subscribe to AmazonTV and I will not research any further. What will happen now? We are faced with a new paradox.
There are thousands of movies and TV series, which one should I watch?
Even though the decision has finally been made, having so many options in our lives tires our brains. It forces us to choose among many options. We didn’t have this many options before. We had one TV and one TV channel in our house and we did not need to make a choice or strain our brains about it. In today’s new world, we have thousands of options not only on Digital Platforms but in every aspect of life — whether buying a dress, a mobile phone, a flight ticket, perfume, or a computer. American Expert Psychologist Barry Schwartz believes that having too many options is not always a good thing.
So what do we need to do to avoid these Paradoxes?
Maximizers Vs. Satisfactionists
Schwartz says there are two types of decision-makers: maximizers and satisficers. The difference between the two is their goals when making a choice.
“If you seek and accept only the best, you are a maximizer,” Schwartz writes. “Maximizers need to make sure that every purchase or decision is the best thing that can be made.” Satisfiers, on the other hand, will choose something that is good enough and don’t worry about the possibility that something better could happen.
According to Schwartz, the key to experiencing more satisfaction and abundance is to be satisfied.
“How can anyone really know that any given option is absolutely the best possible?” Schwartz ponders. “As a decision strategy, maximizing creates a daunting task, which becomes more daunting as the number of options increases.”
The aim of maximizing, she argues, “can make people unhappy, especially in a world that insists on offering a large number of options, both trivial and not-so-trivial.
According to economic science, there should be no such thing as excessive options; For the economy, more always means better. Although it may seem plausible when you first think about it, this is actually just a theory and experimental research shows that this is not true. In daily life, our number of options is increasing rapidly every day. Think of supermarkets. How many olive oils are there? Or wafer? Drink? Information technology brings us dozens of mobile phones, laptops, headphones and televisions. Developments in the health sector offer us many different treatment and drug methods for the same condition. There are dozens of different diet programs and books. In the financial system, dozens of institutions offer many investment opportunities, retirement funds and credit cards. There is a very important point in terms of decision-making in this and similar situations: When you choose one of the options, you do not just make a decision. You choose not to choose others. In short, as your alternatives increase, the number of decisions you need to make also increases, and you need to spend more time and energy to make the right decision for yourself.
One of the reasons is that human cognitive capacity is limited. In fact, more alternatives benefit us. However, the added value of each new option is slightly smaller than the previous one. The benefit decreases and increases.
Another reason is disappointment. More options mean more freedom and autonomy. In short, you are in control of your decision. However, the expectations and hopes of a person who aims to choose the best and strives in this direction also rise. You make comparisons, examine, weigh and finally make the final decision. However, you are the only one responsible for any disappointments that may occur at the end of this process. This potential disappointment can sometimes cause people to delay or even give up on making decisions. For example, I am currently having a hard time deciding between retirement funds. I don’t know the details of the system. There are many options. Many sellers come to me with many promises. That’s why I constantly postpone my decision, even though it may cause me harm.
https://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_the_paradox_of_choice?language=tr
One of the activities that tires the brain the most is having to choose one among many options. Studies show that when people make a decision after being presented with a lot of options, the decisions that follow are sloppy and rushed. Kathleen Vohs from the University of Minnesota conducted research on the fatigue caused by making choices. According to the results of his study with women who spent a day at the shopping mall, it was seen that women who spent the whole day choosing something refused to solve math problems or try a drink they had never tried in return for any reward at the end of the day…
In addition, according to the fMRI results, it was seen that the minds of these women were very tired because they were exposed to intense decision-making behavior. Places where we are surrounded by many options, such as shopping malls, also cause us to lose personal control. While this may seem like a good thing for marketers, it’s not. A study on people’s voting behavior revealed that too many choices cause fatigue and hinder making efficient choices. According to the results of the same study, it was also noted that people who were exposed to excessive options later had difficulty making risky decisions.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2008-04-choices-good-bad-mentally.html#google_vignette
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