Too Many Options, For Better or For Worse.

For years now as technology has progressed and we become more and more involved, our everyday lives are filled with endless options. The real question is are these options for better or for worse? While reading “I Can’t Think” by Sharon Begley I found myself agreeing with many of the statements she pointed out. One of my least favorite things is being faced with too many options. Often when I go to a restaurant and there are too many options I find myself settling for one that is “good enough” because the amount of choices stresses me out to the point where I don’t even know what I want anymore. I often find myself in a situation where because of all the options I end up asking others “Should I get this or this?” and often they are having the same struggles as me. I imagine parenting in this day and age must be difficult trying to make the right decision for your children. I know growing up while things have evolved and now being old enough to make the decisions myself is a struggle. But the struggles come with everything, buying clothes, deciding what to eat, choosing a phone plan, even down to television shows. I recently learned about something called the Paradox of choice. A theory that having to many choices leaves you disappointed and unsatisfied about the choice you decided on. It normally comes with television and that many shows you like are often playing at the same time and you are conflicted on what you should watch and when you do choose the episode is not quite what you wanted and you are left disappointed. So with all these options and choices for everything wouldn’t it be better to occasionally have less of a choice and be happy with that? Who decided that more was better and that it was necessary for everything we do, every single day?