Choices

Imagine sitting in a restaurant that had no menu.  A limitless cap on what the chefs could whip up for their customers to enjoy. At first this sounds like the ideal situation but soon it becomes a nightmare. How does someone narrow down the options without any limitations set? In recent years with the development of technology a new age problem has come to light. The effect choice has on the public and what they can do about it are both important issues to discuss when the leading mental disorder is depression (American). Society has not been given the right tools to deal with the abundance of choice at the local supermarket or in relationships which is why people turn towards fast food and divorce.

Advertisements are on every corner blasting eye catching colors the newest and best things on the market. However this may be doing the public more harm than good. We are already faced with so many options in the world it’s even harder to ignore them when they are right in front of our faces all day. As explained by Garry Gardner Director of Research for the Worldwatch Institute in his writing The Virtue of Restraint, “Much of today's advertising, for example, sends an implicit message that is patently false: your self-worth depends on what you own. The car in your driveway, the size of your wardrobe, the electronic gadgets in your house-these externals have nothing to do with self-worth, but advertising works relentlessly to convince us otherwise (Gardner).” Not only does the advertising industry play a role in the need for more choice but it makes consumers feel unsatisfied. Always in the back of the minds of the population we are thinking about the decisions we have made and the choices we are going to make in the future. This is because our society built itself around the idea that we believe in identity.

Western expansion has caused us to believe that individuality comes from the freedom to choose every aspect of our lives. Our society correlated the freedom of choice with the freedom of individuality. We do this because it’s an option. People who don’t have options to drink bottled water or tap water are categorized as impoverished and those who have the choice are free to do what they wish. The underlying consequences for this however are severe.

                In The Paradox of choice: Why Less is More written by Barry Schwartz he describes how every aspect of our life has choice. It is not necessarily the 175 salad dressings (Schwartz) in the local grocery store we have to choose from. It’s much more than that; Education, relationships, careers are all on our minds each second of the day. Unless you find ways to manage it, it can turn into anxiety. In extreme cases people with Agoraphobia have an anxiety disorder that leaves them housebound because of their fear of what is in the world (American). Extremities like this can be prevented and choice does not have to be paralyzing.

Barry Schwartz explains that, “Choosing wisely begins with developing a clear understanding of your goals. And the first choice you must make is between the goal of choosing the absolute best and the goal of choosing something that is good enough ( Schwartz).” Accepting what is present may seem like the harder option in the moment and is not always the best option but knowing when it is okay to stop and when to keep searching comes with experience and knowledge. There are ways to do this, choices can be controlled and people can become satisfied with their decisions if they understand acceptance. It may not be about whether the blue shoes are a better match then the fifteen other colors but about the choice to accept the shoes and. With our minds constantly focusing on deciding something there needs to be limits. The way to do this is make lists. Have an ending goal of perhaps being healthy and following that list the things it takes to get there. Examples would include, choosing organic foods, shopping locally where the supermarket is within walking distance, delete social media accounts so that time can be spent going on a bike ride or hiking. When making this list of goals it is a good idea to ask one question every time an option arises “How will this choice affect me and the world around me?” In doing so the basic criteria has been set narrowing down the options.

Criteria needs to be set in order to order off a nonexistent menu. As explained in Consumer Behavior in Theory and in Action, “If the consumer is a problem solver, then he chooses among alternatives on the strength of what he knows, or thinks he knows, about them. In this sense information becomes a critical factor in the consumer’s choice process. It determines which alternatives he perceives and how he perceives them (Britt).” We decide on what we want based on what we know. Do I prefer fish over chicken? These are criteria’s set by personal tastes to limit choice. The world may not be equipped to deal with all of the options present but we aren’t starting from scratch either. Since society has not been properly primed to deal with choice the only option is to deal with it through what is already known. When one’s knowledge makes a decision based on their criteria (or lists) life becomes more about knowing who you are then what is needed. 

                With unlimited amount of options in the world and many more choices coming to the table every day it is easy to become overwhelmed and paralyzed. The way to deal with a societal norm collectively throughout research is to create criteria and set limits. It is hard to accept that what we want as a society may not be what is best for us. As Barry Schwartz said, it is a paradox. Limiting choice feels like it takes away freedoms. It takes away the perceived idea of what individuality is. But on the other hand less choice is more satisfying and productive. When the restaurant appears with no menu the best way to deal with it is with knowledge. 

American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.,
text rev.). Washington, DC: Author.

Britt, S. H. (Ed.). (1970). Consumer behavior in theory and in action. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons,
Inc.

Gardner, G. (2001 April). The virtue of restraint: Cover story. World Watch, 14 (2), 12-19. Retrieved from
Academic Search Complete data base.

Schwartz, B. (2004). The paradox of choice: Why more is less. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.