The Dangers of Too Much Choice

Thanks to innovations, technological advances, and the internet, we now have more choices than ever before. We have seemingly endless choices in what we can pursue, how we want to do something, and when we can decide that we’ve completed something.

Having some choices makes us happier than when we have none. But having too much choice makes us anxious, unfocused, and impulsive. Here’s how:

Choices & Regrets

The more choices we have, the more we fear that we’ll regret a decision. Thus, we avoid making one. This means that the more choices we have, the less likely we are to make one.

Choices & Focus

Worse, avoided, delayed, or unfinished decisions stay in our brain as choices to be made. They generate background feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, and discontent. When we try to focus, we remember these choices to be made and question the importance of what we’re doing. From there, it doesn’t take long to become distracted and unfocused.

Choices & Willpower

The more decisions we make, the more willpower and energy we must use. Thus, the quality of our decisions deteriorates as the day goes on. Thus, having too much choice drains our willpower and depletes our energy.

Conclusion

The danger of too much choice lies in its effect on us. Having too much makes us anxious, unfocused, and impulsive. The solutions to this problem are constraints – which we’ll explore next.