The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less Free

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Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. Javascript is not enabled in The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less browser. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. NOOK Book. Audio MP3 on CD. Whether we're buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long-distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a keveryday decisions—both big and small—have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented. As Americans, we assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But beware of excessive choice: choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision-making paralysis, anxiety, and perpetual stress. And, in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression. In The Paradox of ChoiceBarry Schwartz explains at what point choice—the hallmark of individual freedom and self-determination that we so cherish—becomes detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz shows how the dramatic explosion in choice—from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs—has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution. Schwartz also shows how our obsession with choice encourages us to seek that which makes us feel worse. By synthesizing current research The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counter intuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. He offers eleven practical steps on how to limit choices to a The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less number, have the discipline to focus on those that are important and ignore the rest, and ultimately derive greater satisfaction from the choices you have to make. Home 1 Books 2. Read an excerpt of this book! Add to Wishlist. Sign in to Purchase Instantly. Members save with free shipping everyday! See details. This paperback includes a new preface from the author. His articles have appeared in many of the leading journals in his field, including American Psychologist. Related Searches. Laura Ingalls lives with her family on the prairie. Join the original pioneer girl in Illustrated with beautiful new black-and-white artwork, this repackaged edition includes bonus material such View Product. Basic Mathematics. Master Your Coursework with Collins College OutlinesFrom fraions, decimals, and geometric measurement to exponents, scientific Master Your Coursework with Collins College OutlinesFrom fraions, decimals, and geometric measurement to exponents, scientific notation, and an introduion to algebra, the Collins College Outline in Basic Mathematics explores and explains the topics that students will find in introduory mathematics Thoroughly revised and updated for a new generation, the essential guide for men and women Thoroughly revised and updated for a new generation, the essential guide for men and women to help them weather the turmoil of divorce and build rich, rewarding lives. There is nothing easy about the breakup of a marriage, from coping with Dear Thief. From acclaimed Orange Prize and Guardian First Book Award finalist Samantha Harvey, a stunning novel of female friendship, betrayal, and revenge"You were going to work your way into my marriage and you were going to call its new three-way shape Destination: Mars: Revised Edition. Award-winning science writer Seymour Simon explores the Red Planet through fascinating facts and amazing full-color Award-winning science writer Seymour Simon explores the Red Planet through fascinating facts and amazing full-color photographs. Readers will learn about the recent discovery of water, the Valles Marineris—the biggest valley on Mars—the ice caps, recent expeditions, and more. This nonfiction The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less the original The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less with beautiful new black-and-white artwork, this repackaged edition includes Step back from the overload—that overwhelming combination of work, chores, caring for children, and meeting Step back from the overload—that overwhelming combination of work, chores, caring for children, and meeting everyone's needs but your own—and let the sage advice, warmhearted humor, encouraging reminders, and inspiring thoughts from women around the world help you discover a HarperCollins Publishers. The Paradox of Choice: Why Less Really Is More – Fabulous Magazine

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. About the Book: The Paradox of Choice. In the spirit of Alvin Tofflers Future Shock, a social critique of our obsession with choice, and how it contributes to anxiety, dissatisfaction and regret. Whether we're buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long-distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a K, everyday decisions About the Book: The Paradox of Choice. Whether we're buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long-distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a K, everyday decisions have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented. In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains why too much of a good thing has proven detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz explains how a culture that thrives on the availability of constantly evolving options can also The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less profound dissatisfaction and self-blame in individuals, which can lead to a paralysis in decision making and, in some cases, depression. With the latest studies on how we make choices in our personal and professional lives, Schwartz offers practical advice on how to focus on the right choices, and how to derive greater satisfaction from choices that we do make. His articles have appeared in many of the leading journals in his field, including the American Psychologist. He lives in Philadelphia, PA. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. Published The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less 18th by Harper Perennial first published More Details Original Title. Other Editions Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Paradox of Choiceplease sign up. Simon It is an analysis of the effects of the increasing amount of choice we are faced with as a result our modern value of "freedom" as it has been interpr …more It is an analysis of the effects of the increasing amount of choice we are faced with as a result our modern value of "freedom" as it has been interpreted by society simply mean more options. For better or for worse. It starts by explaining the situation as the writer sees it. The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less example is the experiment of offering chocolate samples, one day offering a small The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less and having a positive response in sales and another day where more selection of samples are offered but with a surprisingly poorer response in sales. This sets the temperament of the authors composition. The book continues by addressing issues of choice and happiness, missed opportunities, comparison, disappointment, depression and other psychological areas. It is neatly concluded in a short chapter titled The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less to Do About Choice'. Came across this title in The Happiness Advantage. Shawn Anchor says it's Brilliant. Do you agree? Steve Malerich I hesitate to attach superlatives to anything, so The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less start my answer with: 1 This is an easy read; 2 It's relevant to daily living; 3 It cites …more I hesitate to attach superlatives to anything, so I'll start my answer with: 1 This is an easy read; 2 It's relevant to daily living; 3 It cites substantial research that either leads to or supports its conclusions; and 4 It provides recommendations that are consistent with the observations and conclusions. If your definition of "brilliant" includes something that combines those four characteristics, then this book qualifies. See 2 questions about The Paradox of Choice…. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Feb 10, Cameron rated it really liked it. Maybe I don't read enough Psychology, but I thought this book was fantastic. Swarthmore Psychology professor Barry Schwartz's basic thesis is that the world is divided into two types of person: maximizers, who want to find the absolute best option, and satisficers who want to find something that is good enough and not worry that something better might be out there. He also links maximizing to the high and increasing incidence of clinical depression in the developed world and believes that satisf Maybe I don't read enough Psychology, but I thought this book was fantastic. He also links maximizing to the high and increasing incidence of clinical depression in the developed world and believes that satisficing is the best option for coping in a world in which we are overwhelmed with choice. He also introduces a bunch of other interesting topics: Hedonic Adaptation - Whatever we enjoy and that makes us happy, we will adapt to and thus derive less pleasure from in subsequent experiences. The law of diminishing returns restated in psychological terms. Satisfaction Treadmill - We also become adapted to a certain level of satisfaction, so that once we have experienced a certain level of satisfaction, a previous level of satisfaction will actually make us less happy than before. This is apparently not very well developed research, which is how I felt about it. Choosing Choice - Individuals will always choose to have more options I'd rather have 30 types of wine to choose from rather than 6but are actually made happier when there are less options. In the previous example, those presented with only 6 options were far more likely to buy than those presented with 30, and they also experienced far higher satisfaction with their purchase. This is the behavior that leads to the overwhelming range of options we face in modern life. In other words, our perception of what we would want from a choice standpoint is not the same thing as what we actually want when we get there. The Peak-End Rule of Satisfaction - Our satisfaction with an experience is defined by two key components: the peak of the experience, good The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less bad, and the end of the experience, good or bad. So a mediocre vacation with an amazing peak and conclusion will be remembered in retrospect as more satisfying than a vacation that was consistently good but never great. Daniel Kahneman Salience and Availability - When making decisions, the salience how conspicuous or vivid a data point is and availability of our situation matters greatly. This is why people judge murders and airline crashes to be far more common causes of death than traffic accidents and strokes; we hear far more about the former two, and in far more graphic terms, than we do about the latter. People were far more affected by a video testimonial, even when warned in advance that this was a highly atypical case, than they were by a solid set of research data. Framing and Anchoring - What your anchor point is for a decision matters. People are much happier getting a discount for paying cash than they are paying a surcharge for using a credit card. Once again, the law of diminishing returns, but related to satisfaction. Pretty trippy. I've tried this with a bunch of folks, and everyone seems to answer according to this pattern. Sunk Costs - People have a hard time letting go of sunk costs from a satisfaction standpoint. Say you have bought tickets to see a good music group, but then a horrible snowstorm hits and you will have to walk to get there and you hate the cold. From an economics standpoint, the money you paid for the tickets The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less already gone, so you should just make your decision about whether or not to go based on how happy you think your decision will make you. But people have a very hard time accepting this, and are more likely to follow a course that will make them unhappy because they already spent the money. Regret - Maximizers are far more likely to experience regret The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less satisficers, because they are always susceptible to learning at a later date that a decision they made was actually not the absolute best choice they could have made. Not surprisingly, regret is highly correlated with unhappiness and depression. The author speculates that the large number of maximizers in the general population is related to the fact that we are evolutionarily ill-equipped to deal with the range of choice we face today, and that this was a far more useful personality trait prior to the last several hundred years. Schwartz says that there are two main factors that affect regret: 1 Do we consider ourselves to have personal responsibility for the result I crashed the car vs. I was blindsided ; 2 Can we imagine a counterfactual alternative I could have worked harder in college to get a better job vs. Learned Helplessness - In a somewhat disturbing series of experiments, Martin Seligman showed that you can teach rats to learn how to not adapt to environmental changes that harm them electric shocks, in this case. This concept of learned helplessness is common in unhappy and depressed people, and is largely based on what we attribute our successes or failures to. Depression and Social Networks - A society that lauds autonomy also -- maybe unintentionally -- encourages the dissolution of social networks, which are one of the best defenses against depression, because they prescribe all sorts of constraints for us that limit the range of choices we have to make. Reversible Decisions - People generally prefer to have the option to undo or reverse a decision such as a purchasebut in actuality we end up less satisfied with a reversible decision than an irreversible decision. The author speculates that this is part of the issue with divorce rates marriage is now more of a reversible decision than in the past and other social issues we face. He suggests that we can find greater satisfaction in life by accepting some decisions as irreversible, even if society tells us otherwise. Evaluating an Experience - We evaluate experiences on four dimensions: 1. Comparing the experience to what we hoped it would be 2. Comparing the experience to what we expected it would be 3. Comparing the experience to other experiences we have had in the past 4. Comparing the experience to experiences have had View all 15 comments. Jan 28, Jeff rated it did not like it Shelves: worm-reading-list. The Paradox of Choice is a page treatises on why too much choice can be debilitating. The problem is that we spend too much time and energy trying to make choices that in the grand scheme of things don't matter that much. I agree with the big idea, but I hated the book and here's why: Schwartz could have made his point in a fine three The Paradox of Choice is a page treatises on why too much choice can be debilitating. I agree with the big idea, but I hated the book and here's why: Schwartz could have made his point in a fine three page article, we don't need pages of examples to get the idea. Yeah, there is too much choice, and we need to spend quality time making the choices that The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less like where to work and who to be in a commited relationship with, and less time picking out what cereal to buy. The Paradox of Choice, 10 Years Later - Pacific Standard

The paradox of choice is an observation that having many options to choose from, rather than making people happy and ensuring they get what they want, can cause them stress and problematize decision-making. Barry Schwartz wrote about the negative consequences of having too many options in his book, The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less. Schwartz maintained that an overabundance of options can actually lead to anxiety, indecision, paralysis and dissatisfaction. Intuitively, it would seem that having a large number of options should mean that people could ultimately make a choice that satisfied them. In practice, however, a large selection of items with a variety of benefits and drawbacks can make it very hard for people to choose among them. That difficulty can cause people anxiety that persists while they evaluate options and prolong the process beyond what is warranted for the situation. As a consequence, decision-making processes can become stalled See: analysis paralysis. Furthermore, once their choices have been made, people may still cause themselves stress by worrying that they made the wrong decisions. The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less discusses two styles of decision makers that were identified by psychologist Herbert A. Simon in the s: maximizers and satisficers. A maximizer is someone who is driven to make the best possible choice, which may mean they have to evaluate options exhaustively and yet — paradoxically — may be less satisfied with their ultimate choice than someone who did less research. The latter term is a portmanteau created from the words satisfy and suffice. Please check the box if you want to proceed. Risk assessment is the identification of hazards that could negatively impact an organization's ability to conduct business. Risk management is the process of The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, assessing and controlling threats to an organization's capital and earnings. Access control is a security technique that regulates who or what can view or use The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less in a computing environment. Protected health information PHIalso referred to as personal health information, generally refers to demographic information, Telemedicine is the remote delivery of healthcare services, such as health assessments or consultations, over the Disaster recovery as a service DRaaS is the replication and hosting of physical or virtual servers by a third party to provide Cloud disaster recovery cloud DR is a combination of strategies and services intended to back up data, applications and other A storage area network SAN is a dedicated high-speed network or subnetwork that interconnects and presents shared pools of A Fibre Channel switch is a networking device that is compatible with the Fibre Channel FC protocol and designed for use in a This was last updated in January Related Terms Avaya Avaya is an American technology company that specializes in business communications services, such as unified communications UC Login Forgot your password? Forgot your password? No problem! Submit your e-mail address below. We'll send you an email containing your password. Your password has been sent to:. Please create a username to comment. Search Compliance risk assessment Risk assessment is the identification of hazards that could negatively impact an organization's ability to conduct business. Search Health IT protected health information PHI or personal health information Protected health information PHIalso referred to as personal health information, generally refers to demographic information, Ultimate storage area network guide A storage The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less network SAN is a dedicated high-speed network or subnetwork that interconnects and presents shared pools of