Do you really know｜为什么选择太多，反而更难做决定？
英音听力｜BBC & 经济学人等
Why more choices make decisions harder
You may have spent 20 minutes scrolling through Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, or YouTube last night, only end up watching nothing. That sense of paralysis when faced with endless options was described in 2004 by American psychologist Barry Schwartz as the paradox of choice.
Why do too many options make it harder to decide?
In 2000, researchers Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepper ran an experiment in his supermarket. One display offered 6 varieties of jam, while the other offered 24. The larger display attracted more attention, about 60% of shoppers stopped there.
But when it came to buying, the trend reversed, around 30% of those who saw 6 options made a purchase, compared with just 3% of those who saw 24.
The researchers concluded that while larger selections are appealing at first, they can discourage action. Faced with too many possibilities, the brain struggles to choose. Barry Schwartz explains in his book, The Paradox of Choice, that modern Western societies offer an unprecedented number of decisions to make.
This constant need to choose can lead to mental fatigue, anxiety, and sometimes even depression. The problem is that every decision means rejecting other possibilities. The writer André Gide once observed that choosing something always means giving up something else.
What role does regret play in this process?
Schwartz describes a phenomenon called anticipated regret. Even before making a decision, we imagine regretting it. We worry about the other options we miss and fear choosing badly, which can block decision making altogether. And once the choice is made, the doubt often remains.
What if another option had been better?
In a hyperconnected world, overflowing with content, the pressure to choose is constant. With so many videos, posts, and recommendations available, people sometimes prefer not to choose at all.
How can we escape the paradox of choice?
Schwartz suggests a simple but counterintuitive solution. Limit the number of options we consider, setting personal rules and accepting our decisions instead of endlessly revisiting them, can reduce frustration.
Neuropsychologist Bernard Anselem also argues that instead of exhausting ourselves over searching for the perfect option, we should sometimes rely on our instincts. There you have it.
词汇表
scroll through [skrəʊl] 滚动浏览，翻阅，刷（屏幕）
paralysis [pəˈræləsɪs] n. （行动、决策等）瘫痪，停顿
paradox of choice [ˈpærədɒks] 选择悖论（过多选择反而导致决策困难）
jam [dʒæm] n. 果酱
the trend reversed [trend rɪˈvɜːst] 趋势逆转，情况反转
discourage action [dɪsˈkʌrɪdʒ] 抑制行动，打消行动念头
unprecedented [ʌnˈpresɪdentɪd] adj. 前所未有的，空前的
mental fatigue [fəˈtiːɡ] 心理疲劳，精神疲惫
anticipated regret [ænˈtɪsɪpeɪtɪd] 预期性后悔（做决定前就已想象后悔）
hyperconnected [ˌhaɪpəkəˈnektɪd] adj. 高度互联的，超连接的
overflow with [ˌəʊvəˈfləʊ] 充满，充斥，泛滥
counterintuitive [ˌkaʊntərɪnˈtjuːɪtɪv] adj. 反直觉的，违反常理的
revisit [riːˈvɪzɪt] vt. 重新考虑，反复纠结，重提
neuropsychologist [ˌnjʊərəʊsaɪˈkɒlədʒɪst] n. 神经心理学家
instinct [ˈɪnstɪŋkt] n. 直觉，本能
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