I was on the phone with my dad a few months ago having a fairly deep conversation when he brought up this phenomenon called the “paradox of choice”. The paradox of choice describes the claim that the more options people are given for material things, the less satisfied people tend to be. For a moment, I had to think about this claim, because I had always thought of having more choices to be better. It did not take long, however, for me to see that even though I enjoy having many options for different things, I do not often take advantage of that.
I found that in my everyday life, even if I do not realize it, I tend to err on the side of comfort and “the known,” whether it be choosing to rewatch a favorite movie instead of exploring something new, or continuing to go to the one or two restaurants in town that I like instead of a new one. I try to keep my chances of dissatisfaction low by sticking to a particular routine.
A more complicated example of the “paradox of choice” that my dad came up with, was this: If someone went to a car dealership and had to pick between a red car, a white car, or a black car, whatever that person’s choice may be, their dissatisfaction with their decision is not likely to be very high with only three options. Now, say they have the option to choose any car they want. They can get any style of car, newer, older, bigger, or smaller. The potential for them to make the “wrong” choice is now much higher with more options. Their potential for dissatisfaction, or what we might call “buyer’s remorse”, walking away with their purchase is likely to be higher when they have more options from which to choose.
Society’s materialistic tendencies tell us that we have to want products in the first place, which greatly plays into this phenomenon because of the expansion of production in the past century. Companies try to ensure that their products are purchased by putting a lot of choices out there, hoping that at least one of them will appeal to a consumer. However, with that, consumer satisfaction goes down with the more choices they have. In terms of satisfaction, sometimes having less is more.
So, I tried to come up with ways I can move through the world and not fall into the trap of dissatisfaction that is provided by a materialistic society. I think we as people should attempt to be more conscious of where we decide to place responsibility for our happiness. Material items are not the answer. Connection with others and with yourself cannot be marketed or sold. Satisfaction with life will rise if and when we begin placing our joy in things like positive friendships and relationships, reaching personal goals, and our impact on those around us.