choice

The Joy of Fewer Choices: Lessons from Life and Research

The Joy of Fewer Choices: Lessons from Life and Research

The freedom to choose is one of humanity’s most cherished gifts, woven into our very souls. It is defended by constitutions, psychologists, and even toddlers as a basic human need. Yet an endless buffet of choices is neither required nor always beneficial for exercising agency and promoting self-determination. In fact, too many options can decrease life satisfaction and lead to decision paralysis (Scheibehenne et al., 2010). I have personally experienced this.