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Is Too Much Choice Stressing Us Out? (theguardian.com)

Posted by Soulskill on from the why-you-aren't-happy-with-your-magical-superphone dept.

An anonymous reader writes: In the decades following World War 2, there was a dramatic expansion in choices for consumers. Where before there were only a few brands of bread, now there were dozens. Marketers were relentless in trying to fill every niche, to capture every last market segment. But in the 1990s and 2000s, we started to realize that this wasn't inherently a good thing. Choice paralysis demonstrably exists. It's made us start asking questions like: do we really need 30 types of jam on a store shelf? Is there a good reason for a firm to offer over 150 different pension plans? It turns out, no. Employees are much less likely to actually choose a plan when confronted with so many. In worrying about finding the best choice, they accidentally pick what is by far the worst: nothing. Barry Schwartz, a psychologist who helped bring this idea to the fore, has been advocating for less choice, and offers this suggestion: "The secret to happiness is low expectations."

2 of 358 comments (clear)

  1. Re:If, for what I wish was the last time by PopeRatzo · · Score: 0, Troll

    The communist ideal will never occur by the rule of law.

    And the capitalist ideal will never occur because it's impossible - a fantasy.

    So we better find some other way, no matter what you call it.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  2. Re:If, for what I wish was the last time by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 1, Troll

    Depends on what kind of capitalism we're talking about. If you mean free market capitalism (which itself just means that prices are governed by the forces of supply and demand) then we already have the "capitalist" ideal.

    And no, the US is not in any way, shape, or form, definable as socialist (socialism is defined as the state owning the means of production, employing the workers, and setting prices.) Not even a little bit. We're actually pure free market capitalist. Europe is mostly the same way with the exception of their health care industries, which are in fact socialized.

    Also do not confuse welfare programs with socialism; it's not the same thing. Furthermore, regulation and free markets are not incompatible so long as regulation doesn't establish price controls (which includes things like price ceilings and price floors.) To the best of my knowledge, the US doesn't currently have any direct price controls (except of course for products that the government itself offers.)