In "The Paradox of Choice — Why More Is Less," psychologist Barry Schwartz wrote, "The fact that some choice is good doesn't necessarily mean that more choice is better." The influential book argues that rather than increasing happiness and well-being, an abundance of choice can contribute to feelings of anxiety, depression and wasted time.
"Part of the downside of abundant choice," he explains, "is that each new option adds to the list of trade-offs, and trade-offs have psychological consequences. The necessity of making trade-offs … affects the level of satisfaction we experience from the decisions we ultimately make."
Anyone who has stood in the grocery store aisle, overwhelmed by the sea of colorful packaging, or spent hours scrolling through their Netflix queue looking for the perfect show or movie instead of actually watching something can probably relate.
Continue Reading for Free
Register and gain access to:
- Breaking benefits news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Paul Wilson
Paul Wilson is the editor-in-chief of BenefitsPRO Magazine and BenefitsPRO.com. He has covered the insurance industry for more than a decade, including stints at Retirement Advisor Magazine and ProducersWeb.
