Name: The Paradox of Choice
ISBN: 9780060005696

Barry Schwartz

The author of The Battle for Human Nature explains why too much choice has led to the ever increasing complexity of everyday decisions, why too much of a good thing has become detrimental to human psychological and emotional well-being, and how to focus our lives on making the right choices. Reprint. 35,000 first printing.

Why More Is Less

The Paradox of Choice

Serah

Sarah Schumacher

3.5 stars.

I read a lot of similar books, so the first 3/4 of the book felt like a uninteresting recap of things I already know, citing studies I've already read. (If you read enough popular productivity/psychology stuff you learn everyone cites the same people).

However, the last several chapters had some good points, and the very last chapter strategies on coping with choice. 1/2 star for those.

If you're skeptical of his premise, go ahead and read this. If you already have a grip on our society's curse of decision fatigue and want a book in this realm, I'd suggest Thinking Fast & Slow by Daniel Kahneman, or for a less clinical and more practical option, Decisive by Chip & Dan Heath.

Yuval Shoshan

Great book, really enjoyed it. A lot of things to think about.

Take a look on Barry's TED Talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwar...

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 401(k), everyday 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 Choice, Barry 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 in 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 manageable 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.

Why More Is Less, Revised Edition

Bouke van der Bijl

This book hit me at the right time. It describes how the happiness goes in a U-curve following the number of options you have, at first more options is great as it leads to competition and better outcomes, but at a certain point the number of options can be so overwhelming that trying to find the best one causes you more stress than is worth it. 

TL;DR is: go for the suboptimal choice, one that you can be satisfied with and stick with it. Don’t try to go for ‘the best’ because there is no such thing, not for everyone.

Ivaylo Durmonski

Narrow your choices. Avoid social comparison. Focus on getting “good enough” things.

These are the main rules you need to follow in the 21st century.

In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz visualizes how our lives are controlled by the ever-expanding pile of options. How our minds are shutting off when faced with a gazillion of variations and how we’re feeling less and less satisfied with what products we allow in our lives.

Most notably, Barry Schwartz explains how, since everything is practically created and available, we’re responsible if we don’t succeed. After all, there is a tool nowadays for everything. So, if we’re still lacking a big house and a nice car, this means that we failed somewhere along the way. That our career choice, or whom to marry, was not the best pick.

Knowing these insights, we usually choose not to choose in terms of doing a positive change in our lives. Instead of admitting that we failed somewhere along the way, and doing something about this, we fill our heads with pleasant stories. We hide from the world, and we settle for being passive consumers. Hoping, that more things will lead to more happiness. Alas, this never happens.

Acquiring more things leads to an annoying desire to get even more. It’s a never-ending cycle. Liberation can only emerge from controlling your expectations and the number of options you expose yourself to.

The key takeaway:

Curing yourself of personal misery caused by the pursuit of the “perfect life” is possible only if you lower your expectations and allow yourself to fail without regret.

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The Paradox of Choice Why More Is Less

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