Barista (me): Good afternoon, what would you like to have today?
Customer (who wants just a cup of coffee): Coffee please.
Barista: What kind of coffee would you like?
Customer: Uh, just coffee, black.
Barista: Okay. What size would you like? We have a tall size which is technically small, or a Grande size which is technically medium.
Customer: Uh… medium please.
Barista: Would you like to add some milk? We have all kinds of milk, like soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, whole milk, half and half, 2%, or non-fat milk. Oh, by the way, rumor says that elephant milk will be coming soon. Did you know that elephant milk is 15% fat?
Customer(rolling his eyes): Uh, just the most popular one.
Barista: No worries. Would you like to add some syrup? We have Vanilla syrup, hazelnut syrup, classic syrup, peppermint syrup, Sugar free syrup, everything but cough syrup!
Customer (almost getting explosive): Please just give me a coffee!!!!
Barista: Sure thing. It is 4 dollars.
Customer (giving a 10 dollar bill): Here is 10 dollars. Whew! (talking to himself — Now finally I will get a coffee).
Barista: Thank you. How would you like your change? Six one dollar bills or 24 quarters?
Customer (starting to go nuclear, saying in an angry voice): OMG, that’s enough!! Why is it so difficult to get a cup of coffee these days?
This is one of the many dialogues I have with customers at Starbucks every day. Can you relate to this customer’s frustration?
We live in a world where sometimes there are too many choices. Oftentimes we have more choices than we will ever need. Is having more choices always good? When we have more choices, are we likely to feel happier?
Barry Schwartz, an American psychologist introduced the concept of “The Paradox of Choice”, which means, too many choices paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution.
The first problem. Too many options can be very inefficient and make people frustrated. When Barry was little, he wore the same style of jeans all the time. In fact, there was only one kind of jeans available. One color, one design, and one material. The only thing that he could choose was the size. These days, however, we are given too many options to choose a pair of jeans. Wide, loose, straight, slim, skinny, bootcut, flared, joggers, jeggings, and even pajama jeans! If one wanted to examine and try on all the options thoroughly, they would probably sweat to death in the claustrophobic fitting rooms. Definitely, they would need a lunch box.
Secondly, too many options make people blame themselves for their wrong selection. You might know about Tinder, a dating app. If you are a Tinder user, you probably swipe many profiles at warp speed, left, right, up, and down, until you find your next date. After a thorough examination of the candidate with the eyes of Sherlock Holmes, finally, you decide on one person for your next date. However, when you meet that person, at first sight, you realize that this person is not what you are looking for. His profile said he had a six-pack, but he meant a six-pack of beer, not a six-pack abs. Then, whom do you blame for your selection? Probably yourself, such as, “why did I miss a pity-tiny-little clue about that person in the profile?”
Third, too many choices can lead people to procrastinate when making decisions. I have a friend who is a so-called “perfectionist.” Ten years ago he bought a house with plans to renovate the kitchen. However, to this day, he has not even started the project. Instead, he has spent his time endlessly reviewing all the options for kitchen cabinet colors, designs, floors and many more. After meticulously examining these options for several years, he found that the trend in colors and designs had changed and he had to restart his research. It is quite possible that even his great grandchildren won’t get to see his new kitchen.
In summary, more choices can create more frustration, more self-blame and procrastination, leading to greater unhappiness.
Then, how do we tackle this tsunami of choices?
I have a solution!
The simple approach is to aim for “good enough” options, instead of always seeking “the best” options.
Start with a low-risk case. Try to randomly select an ice cream flavor out of the 30 different flavors at the ice cream shop. Even if it turns out to be a Jalapeno-flavored ice cream with raw fish toppings, it is worth a try!
Now, for a slightly riskier take. If you are the type of shopper who spends an eternity tapping and listening to watermelons, but still ends up disappointed, just pick the one displayed on the top and trust your luck. At the very least, you won’t need to juggle several heavy watermelons.
Lastly, try with a high risk case. High risk, high return approach. Consider marrying someone who was your very first date. They may seem ‘good enough’ at first sight, but they have the potential to become the best partner you have ever had. Just like my husband!
