Trop de choix tue le choix (too much choice kills the choice)
Such was subject of a study by Lyengar and Lepper published in the year 2000. In their report, they detail the results of an experiment where grocery store customers were presented with a tasting table exhibiting either a limited (6) or extensive (24) selection of jams.
Their initial observation was thus; consumers who encountered the table with an extensive number of jam jars were more attracted to the tasting booth than those who encountered the table of 6. This is unsurprising and reflects age-old economic and psychological theory whereby we intuitively feel that as long as more options are available to us, we will have a greater chance at satisfying our own individual needs. Their secondary findings, however, contradicted this thesis entirely. Although the variety exuded by the extensive-choice table appeared more attractive at first, only 3% of the consumers at this table subsequently purchased a jar of jam. At the limited-choice table, this figure jumped to 30%.
Here’s a reflection on this experiment in the words of the researchers themselves, “These findings are striking. Certainly, they appear to challenge a fundamental assumption underlying classic psychological theories of human motivation and economic theories of rationalchoice–that having more, rather than fewer, choices is necessarily more desirable and intrinsically motivating.”
Two principle causes of this strange paradox of choice emerge upon inspection, and both are alike in their shared relationship to uncertainty.
We humans have a biological need to be able to distinguish between good and bad decisions in order to survive. Someone long ago must’ve been the first to find out that stepping on sharp objects inflicts great pain on them, and so they should avoid repeating that so as to avoid the associated pain. Uncertainty arises not in simple binary choices, but in those decisions where there is an abundance of options to consider. Whether our ultimate choice in these situations is a good or a bad one becomes difficult due to the following principle causes as mentioned above. Firstly, choosing from an extensive selection requires more information processing than a limited choice, involving both time and effort (scarce commodities) on the choosers part. Secondly, given the plethora of other options that we have forgone, the opportunity costs associated with making a ‘wrong’ choice are much more prominent. Both of these contribute to the overall uncertainty we face with decisions of this nature, which may inhibit us to such an extent that we simply fail to choose at all. And so we are introduced to the fact that uncertainty can certainly be an inhibitor to action and decision making, as reflected in the results of the experiment.
The tyranny of choice in the digital age
The digital age is characterised by prolific use of technology such that digital interaction becomes a defining characteristic of human activity. Such interaction is facilitated by the ability to transfer information freely, quickly, and in abundance. I argue that this abundance has allowed for a dramatic spike in our relationship with the tyranny of choice, as whilst the number of choices we face may not have changed, the information to digest around each decision is far greater. This alters an increasing number of our choices from the limited category to the extensive category. And so, our aversions to decision making under these circumstances are exponentially exacerbated, with an ever-increasing amount of effort demanded by each individual choice so as to weigh up the options to a satisfactory extent.
This ‘choice overload’ is most noticeable in our lives as consumers. Due to constraints in transportation, communication, and technology, consumer choices would have been relatively limited in the past. Now, not only do we have abundance in the form of physical stores, but we also face choices on the internet in the form of online shopping. Even in a single websit, we find ourselves completely inundated by clothing items of various lengths, colours, cuts, and materials. A simple pair of jeans can now be low rise, high rise, boyfriend, cuffed, distressed, cropped, skinny, wide, or flared! Before the manufacturing revolution and the internet, no one could have predicted that shopping for clothes could be such an arduous task, with so much endless choice. And perhaps at face valu, this would’ve been seen as a desirable circumstance, but as we well know, too much of a good thing has disastrous effects on our motivation.
Because of the sheer amount of information surrounding each choice in our digital lives, we seem to be left in a near constant state of uncertainty-induced worry about whether the decisions we are making are good ones. And if that doesn’t seem to be a horrific state of affairs on its own, this abundance of choice may be evolving into an even bigger issue than it posits at face value. I believe we could be fuelling a generation-wide anxiety epidemic.
Information overload: the epidemic
Information overload is the new beast we as digital humans are facing, made possible by the incomprehensibly vast amount of information available through the internet. As I see it, the relationship between this and the paradox of choice unfolds something like this:
Environmental condition: vast and accessible data at our fingertips
Symptom: uncertainty (paradox/tyranny of choice)
Disease: information overload
Information overload sees the paradox of choice creep from individual circumstances and into every aspect of our lives as we are taken hold of by the digital sphere. When we try to keep up and rapidly digest digital information, we become aware of the vast number of choices we can make not only in singular situations, but as a whole. A large leap is made here from “what is a good choice of jeans” (or something along those lines) to “what is a good choice for my life, as a whole?”. I believe this is a large contributor to the unprecedented levels of anxiety emerging in our generation, as the existential question of how we should be spending our time, and what we should be striving to be and do in our life time is now ever-present and unavoidable.
Social media constantly bombards with stories of success, of the most extravagant achievements, and of the vast number of opportunities available to us. We are inundated with information to consume. There are millions of books to choose from, a never-ending list of topics we can study, and possible careers we could strive for. We have unlimited choice, and a very limited time frame to explore all these lives. This scales the tyranny of choice ten-fold, beyond consumerism and into our very core, making us fundamentally question our existence as human beings. This is why I believe it is important to distinguish between information overload and the tyranny of choice. Whilst the tyranny of choice shows us that an abundance of options can be stressful and demotivating, information overload is the outward expression and result of this, as manifested in a possible generation-wide crisis whereby our inaction towards decisions prompts a kind of identity anxiety.
As with the simple and isolated example of the jam jars, when faced with an overabundance of choices we usually fall into one of two reactions. We either choose something and worry about the consequences of our choice later, or we simply fail to choose at all and forgo the opportunity entirely. I find myself falling into the second category (avoiding choices or being unable to commit to them) very often, so much so that I end up wasting a significant amount of valuable time, and ultimately valuable life. As a result, I now find myself in a dissatisfied state almost constantly. And whats worse, indecision yields absolutely nothing, and the wasted time forgoes opportunities to be skilled or specialised in any particular area at all. Personally, I have been so involved in sifting through data to find an interest that is completely right for me – one that perfectly suits my individual needs – that I’ve lost most of my opportunity to be significantly knowledgable or talented at anything. I have no hobbies, no talents. The most I can lay claim to is just vague and shallow interest in most things, and an uncultivated, fragile identity.
Ne Quid Nimis (in all things moderation)
Can we avoid information overload anxiety and cultivate stronger identities? Honestly, I’ve got no clue! But as of now, I’m trying a few things to decrease informational abundance in my life, which seems to be the root cause of the problem.
- Information Limiting
This is the most basic way we can avoid information overload, and that is limiting our access to information in the first place. I’m not sure how good of a tactic this one is, as it’s based off an attitude of “ignorance is bliss”. Anyhow, its easily done. Whether you start yourself off with one internet-free day a week or turn off your devices at 6pm every night, it all works to free your mind up for a moment and give it a break from processing vast amounts of information all the time. Think of it as a bit of a brain break. Coupling this time with mindful meditation would be an even bigger bonus, as you can explore how you react to time with limited information being input.
- Information Filtering
Efficiently filtering the information we consume online can reduce the amount of information we actually digest. This is a skill that can be developed over time and involves determining whether information is legitimate and worth our time to read. Start with checking the source of the information you’re seeking out before you entertain it.
- Choose First, Consume Second
I think we often fall into the trap of initially exploring things on the internet, and through that act and the information we receive, we find ourselves prompted to make some sort of decision. Therefore this decision attempt takes place during the information consumption, with more and more options added each moment to confuse it. A better approach may be to place greater emphasis on choosing what we want first (with nothing but the information we currently have floating around in our minds) and THEN consuming information pertaining to that choice after we have already mentally committed to it. The initial choice is still difficult. But it is so much easier if you try to avoid further bombardment of information. This also links nicely to number 4.
- Purposeful Use of Our Devices
Our relationship with our devices has become largely reactive. Our phone makes a noise, and we pick it up to see who has messaged us. Web pages link to others we never originally planned to navigate to, and Facebook keeps loading more posts as we scroll down. Twitter loads posts from users we don’t follow because IT is communicating to US that this is something that we need to see, not the other way around. Our apps are designed to keep us online, to keep us consuming using their medium. They’re addictive by their very nature and that’s how they remain profitable.
We need to recognise when we are reacting to our phones and try to replace this with intentional and active usage. I find this to be the most helpful technique at the moment although I’ve only been practicing it for a few days. But I’ll keep trying to build it into a long-lasting habit. So before you pick up your device, ask yourself two questions. 1) What am I seeking to do, and 2) When will I know when I’ve completed this? Its basically mini learning intentions and success criteria. When you get into this proactive and mindful use of your device, you should notice that a large amount of the time, we reach for our phones or laptops with absolutely no conscious intention. Because of this, it can be hard to remind ourselves to check in with our two questions all the time. As an avid Black Mirror fan, I use the ‘black mirror’ of our devices when they’re asleep to trigger me into the mindful mindset.
To finish, a quote:
P.S. Heres some relevant tunes:
Infinite Content – Arcade Fire
Bad Decisions – Two Door Cinema Club
“Lately
Think I’ve had enough
Of generation, information, every station
And I can’t turn it off”
P.P.S. sources of inspo:
- Header photo by Gilles Lambert on Unsplash
- Infomagical – a week long exercise to help curb info overload. Run by Note to Self (great podcast about tech and our lives)
- Part of an awesome written series called The Disconnect – Philosophy Against Technology
- Jordan Bates’ ideas on how to overcome info abundance (check out the rest of his website, this guy is the actual man)
- A writers personal struggle and insights from the topic