The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less

In this opening section, Schwartz lays out the foundation of his argument in a clear, accessible style. By supporting his ideas with both anecdotes and scientific studies, the author attempts to make scientific ideas accessible to a general audience. For instance, he describes his own shopping experience, in which he was offered numerous jeans and felt obligated to try them all on before finally choosing one. He then draws upon academic studies to substantiate his key ideas, such as when he references a study in which people were offered samples of jam and a coupon to use towards a purchase. Samplers who were offered 24 varieties of jam were 10 times less likely to make a purchase and were more likely to be dissatisfied with their purchases than those who chose from only 6 jams. Such studies provide empirical evidence for Schwartz’s argument about choice overload.

This opening evidence connects to Schwartz’s burgeoning theme on Human Behavior and Decision-Making. According to Schwartz, the reasons why more choice can foster anxiety and dissatisfaction is rooted in inherent human behaviors and biases. While specialization and simplification have freed us from the time-consuming analysis required in our ancestors’ lives as hunter-gatherers, the abundance of choice in modern life has dragged us backwards, prompting us to once again devote more time and energy to constant decision-making.

Schwartz suggests that humans’ inherent biases make us highly invested in our choices, and also make us prone to over-analysis and regret. Using a study as evidence, Schwartz shows that having fewer options correlates with higher buyer satisfaction, suggesting that, when overwhelmed with choice, people tend to second-guess their decisions more often. This suggests that the human mind may be wired to overly fixate on decisions, making the many options of modern life more of a struggle than a pleasure.

The author also introduces the theme on The Relationship Between Choice, Freedom, and Happiness, acknowledging that making decisions for oneself has always been associated with personal and political freedom. For this reason, independent decision-making has long been seen as a cornerstone of American culture. However, Schwartz challenges this simplistic association, instead arguing that people should not assume that an increase of choice is also an increase in their freedom—or at least, not in any meaningful way. Schwartz bolsters his argument by including other thinkers’ opinions on the subject. For instance, he agrees with economist Amartya Sen that options are not equal and that an increase in many services or products doesn’t necessarily contribute anything meaningful to someone’s sense of freedom. According to Sen, people feel distracted or overwhelmed by too many options, meaning they may actually have a negative effect on people’s lives.

Schwartz references Albert Camus, the French philosopher and novelist, who believed that “Existence, at least human existence, is defined by the choices people make” (42). By agreeing that choices are central to the outcome and meaning of one’s life, Schwartz suggests that decisions, both big and small, shape people’s lives. To remedy the current consequences of choice overload, Schwartz argues that people must reconsider their belief that having more choice makes them more free: “[W]hat I think is most important is that people won’t ignore alternatives if they don’t realize that too many alternatives can create a problem. And our culture sanctifies freedom of choice so profoundly that the benefits of infinite options seem self-evident” (21). Schwartz will continue to explore the problems of choice overload in the subsequent chapters.