People are actually happier with less choices in life

[Naer]

ultimately happier with no choice at all. The more choices presented will confuse the user into inaction or will leave a user wondering what if he or she chose the other options. This kind of ties into how multitasking is bad. maybe the less choice one has will make a person more productive. Perhaps the stripped down simplistic mobile OS will eventually win out in the end in the eyes of the general consumer. Desktop os's are complex and leave the user with more choice. thoughts?

 

[Crono]

Big brother

 

[BD231]

If the option ain't an option, it ain't an option.

 

[brianmanahan]

does this mean we should get rid of most of the subforums?

 

[lxskllr]

 

[dullard]

You are oversimplifying it quite a bit. In some cases, people tend to like fewer choices (such as when they are unfamiliar with the options). But in other cases, having choices is clearly better (do you really want to go back to one or two TV stations or the "you can have any color you want as long as it is black" mentality?)

People just need to learn to become better decision makers. And companies need to be better in making the differences between choices clear and meaningful. Then we can all benefit from variety to best meet our individual needs.

 

[FeuerFrei]

does this mean we should get rid of most of the subforums?

Actually a good illustration. I show up just wanting to discuss stuff in general. Don't really care what. And yet I'm forced to categorize my interest as Health, Cameras, Garage, etc. It's so constraining. I can't comment on a random L&R thread when it comes up, I expressly have to declare an interest in ONLY L&R topics and enter that forum. SO I never do.
Only time organization makes sense is if you show up seeking info on various equipment types (e.g. hard drives, monitors).

It's easier to engage people if you don't force them to pre-select a topic.

 

[MendelaK]

People are happier in some cases but not all things in life.

 

[Fardringle]

I would correct your topic to "SOME people are actually happier with less choices in life."

Personally, I hate it when I don't have the ability to choose. If I am forced into a single option, I hate that option even if it's not actually a bad option. I want to know that I decided to pick that option after considering other available options. (I even like having the option to repeatedly type the word option.)

 

[Kaido]

I was happier with the limited selection of movies at Blockbuster than with the unlimited selection of movies on Netflix.

There are times when we never actually watch a movie because of analysis paralysis, just endless scrolling trying to find something to watch. Or else we'll just watch 10 minutes of multiple shows & be so bored we don't finish anything.

 

[shortylickens]

You know what makes me happy?

GETTIN FUCKED!
By a girl. Not a president.

 

[Fenixgoon]

i read an interesting book about how having too many choices can be worse than too few, especially when we start to idealize things.
https://www.amazon.com/Paradox-Choi...7609513&sr=8-1&keywords=the+paradox+of+choice

so yes, sometimes fewer choices are in fact better

 

[ponyo]

Mo Money Mo Problems

 

[Murloc]

it depends.

 

[MrDudeMan]

There's some nice misinformation in this thread. I suggest you read actual research. Start with a book called "The Paradox of Choice" and then follow it up with associated criticisms by other professionals in that field. In short, no, people do not suffer because they lack the ability to make decisions. There is very little choice in nature and our entire physiology and psychology was developed in that environment. You can't just move past that.

Edit: I didn't see that someone else had already suggested this book. Call this a +1 then.

 

[MrDudeMan]

I would correct your topic to "SOME people are actually happier with less choices in life."

Personally, I hate it when I don't have the ability to choose. If I am forced into a single option, I hate that option even if it's not actually a bad option. I want to know that I decided to pick that option after considering other available options. (I even like having the option to repeatedly type the word option.)

You can't know how you would react to a lack of choice because you've always been exposed to exactly the opposite. Now you apparently can't like anything without examining other options, which is the entire point of reducing the amount of choices in any given situation.

 

[Fardringle]

You can't know how you would react to a lack of choice because you've always been exposed to exactly the opposite. Now you apparently can't like anything without examining other options, which is the entire point of reducing the amount of choices in any given situation.

I do know because I have been in situations where someone else made the decision about what I wanted/needed without my input. Sometimes it was an OK situation, sometimes not, but always happened because someone else believed that they knew better than I did what I wanted and needed. I don't need a huge variety of choices necessarily, but I do need to be able to choose what is best for me.

People who believe that they "know better" how to decide which one option applies to everyone else are usually wrong. They might be right for some people some of the time, but in almost every case there is no single option that is best for everyone in any facet of life.

On the other hand, there are some people who can't (or don't want to) make informed decisions, so your scenario might work for them. But this just reinforces the fact that it doesn't work for everyone..

 

[Yakk]

Top 10 lists exist for a reason. Human brains in general like a few options, not too many to make you second guess yourself. Marketing research firms through FMRI research know and use this, a lot.

The book "Brand Washed" does a good job breaking this down for people not in the marketing industry.

 

[MrDudeMan]

I do know because I have been in situations where someone else made the decision about what I wanted/needed without my input. Sometimes it was an OK situation, sometimes not, but always happened because someone else believed that they knew better than I did what I wanted and needed. I don't need a huge variety of choices necessarily, but I do need to be able to choose what is best for me.

This is not even close to the same situation and not what we were discussing at all. You're talking about other people deciding for you, which is a totally separate topic compared to limiting the number of options when you make the decision yourself. Someone else artificially limiting the number of options also isn't the same discussion and that usually isn't how it happens anyway. You really need to read about this topic because the delusion of needing more choice to be happy/satisfied is exactly what this entire branch of psychological study is about.

You also entirely missed my point. A system can't examine itself, so, no, you can't know how you would react because you grew up in a world full of choice.

 

[Fardringle]

If the end user/customer has no options to choose from, that means someone else made the choice for them to determine which one option they actually receive such as

Perhaps the stripped down simplistic mobile OS will eventually win out

So yes, my response does apply. Not having the option to do more is OK for some people, but those that want/require more options to accomplish their tasks with the device (using your mobile device for example) will either push to create something better, or look for someone who has created a better option and choose to use that option, thereby restoring choice back into the system.

Your newest comment suggesting that people might be happier if they limit themselves to fewer options and choose from those options is not what you said at first. I do agree with that suggestion in general, as too many choices can be confusing and frustrating sometimes, but even that requires making the choice to decide which options make the 'final cut'.