Title The Paradox of Choice

Author Barry Schwartz

Year Published 2004

Kind of Book Psychology/Self-Help

How strongly I recommend it 8/10 

My Impressions This is one of those books that contains a very powerful idea, 'more choice doesn't always lead to more happiness. In fact, often the opposite is the case.' I did feel I could have gotten all of the value from this book by watching a 20 minute TED talk though. No need for a 200 page book.

Date Read circa 2017

What question is the author trying to answer?

Practical Takeaways

  • When considering options only focus on the opportunity costs of the first two options, not all of your options

  • Make more irreversible decisions

  • Embrace voluntary constraints of your freedom

  • Seek what is 'good enough' instead of the best

  • Lower your expectations about the results of decisions you make

  • Pay less attention to what everyone else is doing

  • Keep wonderful experience rare. No matter what you can afford, make certain things a special treat.

 

Big Ideas

  • It is NOT true that the more choices a person has the more well-being they have

In fact

  • Sometimes having too many choices can lead to less well-being in a person

 

  • If you limit the number of options you consider when making a choice, you will have more time available for what's important in your life

 

  • When people have no choices, life is unbearable

on the other hand

  • The fact that some choices is good doesn’t necessarily mean that more choice is better.

 

  • People are less happy when their decisions are reversible 

 

  • People regret the things they don’t do more than the things they do do

 

  • We probably can do more to affect the quality of our lives by controlling expectations than we can by doing virtually anything else

 

Unknown Terms

Maximizer: People who are out for the best choice. They have more trouble choosing and are less satisfied with their choices and with their lives in general. They feel that the only way to know what choice is best is by examining all the options.

Satisfier: people who are out for 'good enough'

Opportunity Cost: the costs of any option involves passing up the opportunities that a different option would have afforded.