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The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less | 
| Author: Barry Schwartz
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
Buy New: $17.66
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Avg. Customer Rating:  95 reviews
Sales Rank: 730034
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
ASIN: B000HWY5MK
Publication Date: January 1, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
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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| Customer Reviews: Read 90 more reviews...
 Provides an interesting look at how too much choice has a negative impact on well-being July 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
My husband and I, both professionals (he's an attorney, I'm a psychologist), had previously had many conversations about how the plethora of choices available in modern-day life--from being able to find virtually every TV program ever made online to owning an iPod that can hold every song we'd want to hear to having access to endless reviews on amazon whenever we need to purchase a new product--somehow seemed detrimental to us, although we were never able to quite put our finger on the precise nature of the problem. So, when we came across the book The Paradox of Choice, we were amazed to find that author Barry Schwartz had done research into exactly phenomenon we had been discussing with each other.
In this book, Schwartz makes a distinction between "satisficers," those who are able to ignore the vast majority of options available and accept the first choice which meets all of their needs, versus "maximizers," those who are convinced that the perfect choice exists and who are willing to ignore the costs associated with searching for this "perfect" option. Schwartz does as an excellent job of showing that maximizers tend to be more depressed and anxious. But then he moves away from the specific topic of choice to discuss the more general subject of happiness. Here Schwartz reviews some of my favorite research in psychology, including Dr. Martin Seligman's work with learned helplessness and his more recent expansion into the positive psychology field. Schwartz also references the book Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert; Dr. Gilbert makes the point that we are all particularly poor predictors of what will make us happy.
In the final part of this book, Schwartz offers some strategies for dealing with the overwhelming amount of options in today's world. Although this is certainly not designed as a self-help book per se, these recommendations build on both Schwartz's own research as well as the work of the above-mentioned psychologists and are designed to help the reader find greater happiness amidst the sea of modern-day choice. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a highly readable account of this fascinating topic.
Choices: how to think about it and avoid the pitfalls of too many options June 18, 2008
Schwartz has a compelling argument: the more options we have for each choice, the higher our expectation and the longer the decision process. For a number of people (especially those that like to 'maximize' every decision) this can be a very frustrating and potentially debilitating. He reports on studies that show how people are actually better off (more satisfied with outcomes) when given fewer choices. Clearly, this concept has been understood for a while, especially in marketing circles where the goal has been to 'take advantage' of customer behavior. However, Schwartz takes the perspective of the individual or consumer and shows how we can be manipulated and perhaps 'left hanging' when the array of choice is bewildering. This book has a very practical approach to the issue, ending with suggestions on how to address the challenges presented with having too much choice.
I bought a copy for myself, then ended up buying two more copies because I kept loaning it out to others who reported that a third party ended up taking it, instead of giving it back.
Not a paradox anymore, now things are clear! May 29, 2008
Very good book. Highly recommended. Especially for those out there who have a tough time making decisions.
 Disappointing April 20, 2008
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
The first third of this book consists of a boatload of statistics and observations about how many choices we have in modern life. A series of self-evident facts, signifying nothing.
The next third of the book suggests that choice is sometimes counterproductive and stressful. I have often observed myself that there are eight varieties of Cap'n Crunch in the store and the original is the only good one. Choice is not always good. Kinda knew that.
The Third Act, which is what I had hoped would be insightful, reads like a Wayne Dyer greeting card - chill out, breathe, choose what's important, connect with your source, hang in there baby!
In response to the stresses of life, one can only chill out so much before starting to ask harder questions about the nature of capitalism and whether our materialist culture is a disgrace to human history. These are the real issues that books like this are supposed to sort out for us through wise, critical, historical analysis. There is something wrong with *America* - not *me*. I just work here. Sure I can take a bath and eat whole wheat bread and drink more water, but as a citizen of the world, I wanna know why it's all screwed up and what I can do about it.
Great book April 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Barry Schwartz explores interesting paradox. If we as consumer have a lot of choices, it does not mean that we would be able to make a better decision or be happier. In fact it is often quite opposite. The book is based on strong scientific foundation: psychology of judgment and decision-making behavioral economics. He includes references to Nobel award winning work by Kahneman and Tversky, as well as few other researchers. At the same time The Paradox or Choice is not a dry academic-like book: is it full of amusing real-life examples. What influence our choice? What factors would lead us to make irrational choice? How to measure happiness and satisfaction? How to make trade-off? You will find answers on these and other questions.
Essentially Barry Schwartz uncovers from different points view what we already intuitively know: in order to be happy we don't need to buy more things or more expensive things. We just need to make choices, which will increase our satisfaction. What I took away after reading this book are a few simple ideas, that I can use in my every day life. For example, I will try to base my choices on detailed research rather than the memory of one vivid event. This is not as easy as it sounds as we do not always follow our own rules of decision-making. Barry Schwartz's book helps us to reinforce our intent to make more rational choices.
I highly recommend this book.
Lev Virine, author of Project Decisions: The Art and Science
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