The Paradox of Choice: Introduction
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This video is a marketing talk by Professor Barry Schwartz by Google's invitation. The video is too long, I will break it down and write in parts. This is the so called "Good Enough" theory that Vinh is always talking about, and most people do not understand the beauty of it.
Choices are good. More choices are even better. Right? WRONG!
Why???
The general assumption in society:
More Freedom is more Welfare.
More Freedom is more Choice.
Therefore, more Choice = more Welfare
This is so deep rooted in us that it is very hard to imagine that this is FALSE.
"BUT we are a Progressing society!", you say. True.
Where there were options, there are MORE options now.
Where there were NO options, there are significant options now.
Consumer Goods
There use to be only a few brands of cereal. NOW there are at least 30 brands and types of cereal to choose from in the supermarket. Low fat, High Fibre, Low Cholesterol, Low GI, Extra Crunchy, Wafer-like, Berry/Tropical/Chocolate flavoured...and the list goes on.
Phones
There use to be only ONE phone company, even your house phone is given by that company, no choice whatsoever. NOW you go into a handphone store and ask "Do you have a phone that is just a phone?". The answer is "No".
These choices are placing enormous burdens of decision-making, consequential and inconsequential, on consumers.
Medicare
Back then, doctors tell you what to do. NOW the practice of medical ethics focus on "Patient Autonomy". Meaning?
Doc: These are the pros and cons of surgery and chemotherapy. You choose."
You: What should I do?
Doc: I already told you the pros and cons.
You: But what if you were me? What would you do?
Doc: But I am not you.
Beauty
There is no part of your body that cannot be altered, take the fat from undesirable places and inject it into desirable places. (How I wish nature had done that for me) Plastic surgery used to be taboo, but NOW it is nothing to be ashamed of. How you look is a matter of choice.
What are the consequences?
If you are ugly, then it is your fault.
Work
With technology advancements, it is possible to work anytime anywhere. Handphone on one hip, Blackberry on the other and Laptop on your lap, watching your son's soccer game. *Maybe I should return that call, answer the email, or draft that letter* Even if you said "No, this is my free time", but you were thinking of saying "Yes". It means you have a decision to make, basically every 30 seconds, if the game continues to be a bore.
Family
In older times, there was a default: get married as soon as you can, after that start a family as soon as you can. The ONLY question is Who?
NOW, get married? Or not? Soon or late? Whether to have kids? Soon or late? The choice is taken for granted. There is no default.
People have to make a lot of NON-DECISIONS compared to last time. They spend a lot more time thinking about it, and less time to do their work. Reading journal articles is not a matter of life and death, but making a wrong decision with your romantic life might be.
You can even reinvent your Identity.
Who do you want to be today?
*cue Lord of the Rings background music*
~We will discuss later what too many choices can do to you.~
Choices are good. More choices are even better. Right? WRONG!
Why???
The general assumption in society:
More Freedom is more Welfare.
More Freedom is more Choice.
Therefore, more Choice = more Welfare
This is so deep rooted in us that it is very hard to imagine that this is FALSE.
"BUT we are a Progressing society!", you say. True.
Where there were options, there are MORE options now.
Where there were NO options, there are significant options now.
Consumer Goods
There use to be only a few brands of cereal. NOW there are at least 30 brands and types of cereal to choose from in the supermarket. Low fat, High Fibre, Low Cholesterol, Low GI, Extra Crunchy, Wafer-like, Berry/Tropical/Chocolate flavoured...and the list goes on.
Phones
There use to be only ONE phone company, even your house phone is given by that company, no choice whatsoever. NOW you go into a handphone store and ask "Do you have a phone that is just a phone?". The answer is "No".
These choices are placing enormous burdens of decision-making, consequential and inconsequential, on consumers.
Medicare
Back then, doctors tell you what to do. NOW the practice of medical ethics focus on "Patient Autonomy". Meaning?
Doc: These are the pros and cons of surgery and chemotherapy. You choose."
You: What should I do?
Doc: I already told you the pros and cons.
You: But what if you were me? What would you do?
Doc: But I am not you.
Beauty
There is no part of your body that cannot be altered, take the fat from undesirable places and inject it into desirable places. (How I wish nature had done that for me) Plastic surgery used to be taboo, but NOW it is nothing to be ashamed of. How you look is a matter of choice.
What are the consequences?
If you are ugly, then it is your fault.
Work
With technology advancements, it is possible to work anytime anywhere. Handphone on one hip, Blackberry on the other and Laptop on your lap, watching your son's soccer game. *Maybe I should return that call, answer the email, or draft that letter* Even if you said "No, this is my free time", but you were thinking of saying "Yes". It means you have a decision to make, basically every 30 seconds, if the game continues to be a bore.
Family
In older times, there was a default: get married as soon as you can, after that start a family as soon as you can. The ONLY question is Who?
NOW, get married? Or not? Soon or late? Whether to have kids? Soon or late? The choice is taken for granted. There is no default.
People have to make a lot of NON-DECISIONS compared to last time. They spend a lot more time thinking about it, and less time to do their work. Reading journal articles is not a matter of life and death, but making a wrong decision with your romantic life might be.
You can even reinvent your Identity.
Who do you want to be today?
*cue Lord of the Rings background music*
~We will discuss later what too many choices can do to you.~
