The Law of Limits is actually...
...The Paradox of Choice, a brilliant book by Barry Schwartz. If you haven't read it, you really have to. In it, he discusses choice. No choice is not good. Some choice is good. Too much choice, well, that becomes not good again.
Have you ever stood in front of a wall of shampoo in the drugstore? I was while I was listening to Barry talk at PopTech [via IT Conversations]. It was one of those gorgeously ironic moments.
I'm listening, I'm thinking, I'm trying to recall one of those moments he's describing, then I look up and see an entire aisle of shampoo before me. How do I make my choice? What if I choose the wrong one for my hair type? I grabbed the one on sale. Then put it back. I grabbed the one with the points rewards. Then put it back. I must have grabbed 10 different shampoos before I just went with the 'old standard' that I was trying to avoid buying again (I promised myself I'd be more adventurous in the hair product department).
I walked out of the drugstore feeling incredibly defeated. I questionned my decision all the way home. Washing my hair was lackluster this morning (should it be exciting?). But, really, how much difference is there between shampoos? This one gives shine, that one is for fine hair, this one enhances curl, that one is for blondes...I never really see a difference in the end. I can pay $1.99 or 20.99 and the results are exactly the same. Hairspray, now there's another story...
The Paradox of Choice was one of those books that I read and I let out a sigh of relief. How dare I question the amount of choice we have in our 'free' society? Well, I can now, because Barry says it explains a great deal of depression and anxiety we feel as individuals. From his website:
As Americans, we assume that more choice means better options and greaterNext Book: I've been recommended "Everything Bad is Good for You" by Steven Johnson, who has a blog.
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.
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.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home