June 12, 2012

• The Paradox of Choice

  When I go to Starbucks for coffee, I buy a tall dark roast coffee, black. My husband orders a Venti Chai skim milk please. My daughter orders a Venti  Caramel Machiatto extra whipped cream and my sister orders a “”Zebra” half white chocolate mocha and half mocha. We do like our choices, we like to have them, we like to make them. We hate waiting in line while other people make theirs, and we hate even more looking at someone else’s drink wondering if theirs is better or if we made the wrong choice. 

  The problem with choices is that there are so many of them. Yesterday I posted about fear and anxiety and a lovely young lady, @specialxplaces responded with this insightful comment.

  “I think kids are raised in a generation where there are so many options as to what to do with your future, and none of it seems to ever be good enough. They’re afraid that their choices will make others unhappy, or their choices will make themselves unhappy. Choosing the wrong career or something, that’s a big step that costs a lot of money in education. There’s something wrong with everything that’s good, ya know? Kids today are all too aware of that I think. “

  

   

  She is right. I remember reading a book a few years ago called The Paradox of Choice, which discussed exactly this subject and it made a big impact on me, I agree with nearly everything it said. 

  Not only do we make consumer choices daily (jeans – low cut, straight leg or boot leg, regular fit, slim fit,) but there is a lot of research that needs to go into these choices. Ok, maybe not so much as the jeans, but think of buying a TV, computer, car. Consumer reviews, features, warranties, projecting the uses of these objects and making a package of option fit for our own personal needs. Carfax reports, country of origin, consumer reports, price and product reviews – we wouldn’t sacrifice a single one of them. We hang onto our options and choices despite the tedious researching and education that goes into each decision.

  But the fun doesn’t end there. In America, we free people can choose everything. Where to go to school, to college, what field we want to enter, what religion we choose,  sex, romance, parenting…. None of these decisions can be taken lightly, they all impact our life not just now but long term. 

  Now let’s talk about opportunity cost and buyer’s remorse. I chose to not go into health care though that was what I believed I wanted to do. As my career path turned, I always kept an eye on my sister’s career path (she chose to go into healthcare.) Though I don’t regret my decision, there has been many times that I thought of the financial difference, the security she has, the cost of the opportunity I didn’t take. Now, I am exaggerating here a bit. I am not really the type to look at that, I am way too self centered, but I think you get my point. These decisions, choices, and consequences are serious and stressful. 

  One of my favorite paragraphs of the book states “…there is a cost to having an overload of choice. As a culture, we are enamored with freedom, self determination, and variety and are reluctant to give up any of our options. But clinging tenaciously to all the choices available to us contributes to bad decisions, anxiety, stress and dissatisfaction.” 

  The thought that I keep thinking about is positive liberty and negative liberty – positive liberty is the freedom to.. negative liberty is the freedom from…. 

  My stress avoiding super powers have a strange side effect which makes me a poor shopper – I get in, get out and don’t come back. I tend to avoid looking at my decisions too long, I hate remorse. And I refuse to look at what other people have, opportunity cost is something I don’t have to feel if I don’t look at too closely. So I drink my coffee black, I have my sister choose my clothes when we shop, and I usually eat whatever the daily special is at the cafe. I am dull, simple, and pretty damn happy. 

  

  • 4:30 pm
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