The Paradox of Choice:
Why More Is Less
Barry Schwartz
Ohio Board of Regents
November, 2012
The “Official Syllogism”
• More freedom means more well being
• More choice means more freedom
• More choice means more well being
285 Varieties of cookies
75 Iced teas
230 Soups
175 Salad dressings
275 Cereals
40 Toothpastes
Phone Service and Gear
College Courses
Is this good news or bad news?
YES!
What Too Much Choice Does:
Paralysis (Iyengar)
• Buying jam
• 401(k) investing
• Extra-credit essays
What Too Much Choice Does:
Decision and Performance
Quality
401 (k)
Medicare Part D
Extra-credit essays
Drawing by four-year-olds
Choice and Self-Control
What Too Much Choice Does:
Satisfaction
What Too Much Choice Does:
Satisfaction
1. Regret and anticipated regret
What Too Much Choice Does:
Satisfaction
1. Regret and anticipated regret
2. Missed opportunities
Missed Opportunities and
College Students
“Everything Suffers from
Comparison”
(Brenner, Rottenstreich, & Sood, Psych Science, 1999)
What Too Much Choice Does:
Satisfaction
1. Regret and anticipated regret
2. Missed opportunities
3. Escalation of expectations
How Can Choice Be Good and
Bad?
Finding the “Sweet Spot”
(Shah & Wolford)
“Libertarian Paternalism”
(Sunstein & Thaler, U. of Chicago Law Review, 2003; Thaler
& Sunstein, Nudge, 2009)
• Organ donation
The Power of Defaults
(Johnson & Goldstein, Science, 2003)
What Can Be Done
• Limited options
• Pay attention to defaults and “choice
architecture”
• Careful monitoring and feedback
• Lots of guidance when there is choice
• Careful advising
Choice, Happiness, and
Academic Performance