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The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less Hardcover – January 6, 2004

by Barry Schwartz (Author)

330 customer reviews

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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.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Like Thoreau and the band Devo, psychology professor Schwartz provides ample evidence that we are faced with far too many choices on a daily basis, providing an illusion of a multitude of options when few honestly different ones actually exist. The conclusions Schwartz draws will be familiar to anyone who has flipped through 900 eerily similar channels of cable television only to find that nothing good is on. Whether choosing a health-care plan, choosing a college class or even buying a pair of jeans, Schwartz, drawing extensively on his own work in the social sciences, shows that a bewildering array of choices floods our exhausted brains, ultimately restricting instead of freeing us. We normally assume in America that more options ("easy fit" or "relaxed fit"?) will make us happier, but Schwartz shows the opposite is true, arguing that having all these choices actually goes so far as to erode our psychological well-being. Part research summary, part introductory social sciences tutorial, part self-help guide, this book offers concrete steps on how to reduce stress in decision making. Some will find Schwartz's conclusions too obvious, and others may disagree with his points or find them too repetitive, but to the average lay reader, Schwartz's accessible style and helpful tone is likely to aid the quietly desperate.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Who woulda thunk it? Here we are, in the early years of the twenty-first century, being driven bonkers by the staggering array of consumer goods from which we must choose. Choosing something as (seemingly) simple as shampoo can force us to wade through dozens, even hundreds, of brands. We are, the author suggests, overwhelmed by choice, and that's not such a good thing. Schwartz tells us that constantly being asked to make choices, even about the simplest things, forces us to "invest time, energy, and no small amount of self-doubt, and dread." There comes a point, he contends, at which choice becomes debilitating rather than liberating. Did I make the right choice? Can I ever make the right choice? It would be easy to write off this book as merely an extended riff on that well-worn phrase "too much of a good thing," but that would be a mistake. Despite a tendency toward highfalutin language ("the counterfactuals we construct can be tilted upward"), Schwartz has plenty of insightful things to say here about the perils of everyday life. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product details

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Ecco; 1 edition (January 6, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060005688
ISBN-13: 978-0060005689
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
Average Customer Review: 330 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #163,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #677 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Psychology & Counseling > Social Psychology & Interactions
- #723 in Books > Business & Money > Skills > Decision Making
- #791 in Books > Business & Money > Management & Leadership > Decision-Making & Problem Solving

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Top customer reviews

This book is packed with Big Ideas on how, as the sub-title suggests, "the culture of abundance robs us of satisfaction."

ByBrian Johnsonon August 27, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

"The fact that some choice is good doesn't necessarily mean that more choice is better. As I will demonstrate, there is a cost to having an overload of choice. As a culture, we are enamored of freedom, self-determination, and variety, and we are reluctant to give up any of our options. But clinging tenaciously to all the choices available to us contributes to bad decisions, to anxiety, stress, and dissatisfaction-- even to clinical depression."

~ Barry Schwartz from The Paradox of Choice

Barry Schwartz is a Professor of Social Theory and Social Action at Swarthmore College and this book is packed with Big Ideas on how, as the sub-title suggests, "the culture of abundance robs us of satisfaction."

In short, we now have so many options that we're suffering.

"I believe we make the most of our freedoms by learning to make good choices about the things that matter, while at the same time unburdening ourselves from too much concern about the things that don't."

"We can imagine a point at which the options would be so copious that even the world's most ardent supporters of freedom of choice would begin to say, "enough already." Unfortunately, that point of revulsion seems to recede endlessly into the future."

Here are some of the Big Ideas:

1. Gratitude = happy with choices
2. Being Seduced - By branding. We all are.
3. Maximizers vs. Satisficers - Huge idea.
4. Perfectionism - Tends to go with maximizing.
5. Domain Specificity - Maximizing is domain specific.

To find 250+ more reviews visit http://bit.ly/BrianReviews

0Comment 11 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Learn what you really want

ByAdam Cohenon January 8, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

A brilliant view of our complex world. We think we want more choice, but we are better off without it. If you enjoyed Freakanomics, you will enjoy this one too.

0Comment 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Help for the perfectionist

ByJanet L. Helfandon April 30, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

My organizer recommended this book. She said that she had to read it also. I wanted to learn how to make faster decisions about getting rid of things and not spending so much time researching everything before I make my choice. My organizer kept asking me if it was worth my time. I am only into the first chapter; but, I believe it is going to help me make choices without the fear that I might be making a mistake. The book talks about real freedom and I would love to make a mistake or make a decision and then move on without thinking about it any more. That's real freedom.

0Comment 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Thoughtful, Informative and Fun

ByKenneth E. Rathburnon August 23, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I'm came upon this book, as I'm sure many did, after hearing Schwartz's Ted Talk, which in 10 minutes really does give you the general gist of this book. That said, there is enough here to justify reading from start to finish if you want to delve a little deeper, find out more specifics about the research he (and others) did. A number of recurring terms are used throughout the book, as if it's like a mini-textbook, only infinitely more enjoyable and arguably more interesting. For me personally, much of what Schwartz talks about in The Paradox of Choice is stuff I've consciously and unconsciously thought and considered, but he manages to spell it out, put it into words in a way that helped open my mind up a little more. As I gradually worked my way through the book, I felt myself become more self-aware, and it got me thinking about what decisions I should think or "fret" over, and which ones I should more or less automate. I love it when a book achieves that type of sensation, the kind made from giving you great, important information in a way that feels a cut above the norm, but not so complex and sprawling that it becomes a chore. In fact, one of the only shortcomings I can muster to hold against the book (and ultimately why I gave it 4/5 stars) is because I felt there were parts that could've used more elaboration, specifically the fourth and final part, which feels too much like a rushed conclusion when all is said and done. Not to say the book ends poorly, I just think a little more substance for the conclusion would've left an even greater lasting impression.

Now I can easily see some people misreading what Schwartz brings to light in this book, or at least certain parts and aspects. For instance, a common suggestion made throughout is to be okay with "good enough." Schwartz does bring up the fact that higher expectations can (and often do) objectively lead to superior products and experiences, but it's easy to lose sight of that every time he mentions how "satisficers" are happier and that a "good enough" mentality and approach to life can make us feel better. There are even parts that one could interpret as him advocating for lifestyles where a lack of choice, regardless of whether we want the freedom of choice or not, may actually be better. This is sure to leave quite an impression on some readers, and I obviously can't speak for Schwartz himself, but my own takeaway isn't that we should regress back into having more choice. Rather, I feel the ultimate message we should take is that living lives with just enough restraint, keeping things concise and not fretting over little things that have little to no impact in the long run, is better than having to look into and analyze every little detail about every little decision. Another way of looking at it is the "less is more" expression. Knowing when to limit ourselves and knowing when to take full advantage of whatever we can is the line I feel Schwartz wants us all to walk. Having more to choose from is great, just don't let the abundance consume you.

0Comment 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Overall a good read. Studies are cited at times

ByCopperheadon April 18, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Overall a good read. Studies are cited at times, but other times the points being made seem to be more just he author's perspective. It did make me think a lot though and made me realize the benefits of reasonably limiting my choices.