The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less

The author shares an anecdote about shopping for jeans and feeling overwhelmed by the myriad options available. Instead of the brief shopping trip he expected, he ended up spending hours evaluating different fits, styles, and colors before finally buying a pair. Schwartz believes that having an abundance of options can inadvertently create a feeling of uncertainty in consumers, increasing the amount of time, energy, and emotional investment people put into their purchases. While having no choices in one’s life is terrible, Schwartz contends that it is possible to have too many choices.

Schwartz agrees with economist Amartya Sen that people should think carefully about whether increased choice in a certain area really enhances their lives. While freedom of choice is baked into American culture, Schwartz believes that the current choice overload is leaving Americans less satisfied than before. He challenges the reader to consider how too many choices might even impede one’s freedom or quality of life by creating distraction and dissatisfaction. Schwartz’s work will communicate five main lessons: Embracing voluntary constraints on choice; settling for good enough; lowering expectations; accepting the permanence of one’s decisions; and resisting comparison with others.