Whether we're buying a pair of jeans, selecting a long-distance carrier,
choosing a doctor, or setting up a 401(k), everyday decisions--from the
mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and
individual needs--have become increasingly complex due to the
overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented. We assume
that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But
beware of choice overload: it 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 Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains why too
much of a good thing has proven detrimental to our psychological and
emotional well-being. Synthesizing current research in the social
sciences, he makes the counterintuitive case that eliminating choices
can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. In
accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, he offers practical steps for
how to limit choices to a manageable number, have the discipline to
focus on the important ones and ignore the rest, and, ultimately, derive
greater satisfaction from the choices you do make.
"An insightful study that winningly argues its subtitle."
--Philadelphia Inquirer
"The Paradox of Choice is genuine and useful. The book is
well-reasoned and solidly researched." --New York Observer
