A632.2.3.RB - Sheena Iyengar: How to Make Choosing Easier

Perhaps you have experienced what I experience on a regular basis.  You are at a restaurant looking at the menu, trying to decide what to order.  All of the options look good, and you cannot decide between the fajitas and the enchiladas. “There are just too many options!” you exclaim in frustration as you decide to simply order the same thing you always do, the chicken burrito.

It is said that variety is the spice of life.  As consumers, we generally think that more options is better than few.  “Marketers assume that the more choices they offer, the more likely customers will be able to find just the right thing” (Schwartz, 2006, para. 1).  We have a tendency to believe that where more options are available, we will be able to find something that fits our needs or wants exactly, and we will be more satisfied with our decision.  We will be able to have it our way. However, “research now shows that there can be too much choice; when there is, consumers are less likely to buy anything at all, and if they do buy, they are less satisfied with their selection” (Schwartz, 2006, para. 1).

Sheena Iyengar (2011) indicated that having too many options can cause negative consequences; we become disengaged and delay choosing, we ultimately make worse choices, and the result is that we are less satisfied with our selection.  In essence, we take longer deciding on what to order, we ultimately settle for the chicken burrito instead of trying something new, and than in the end we declare “I should have ordered the fajitas!”

Iyengar (2011) suggested four simple techniques to reduce decision paralysis.  The first: cut. Although choices are good for us, there is a point where the added anxiety and regret associated with choosing from among the options reduces our wellbeing.  “There is diminishing marginal utility in having alternatives; each new option subtracts a little from the feeling of well-being, until the marginal benefits of added choice level off. . . . Eventually, each new option makes us feel worse off than we did before” (Schwartz, 2006, para. 5).  To improve our decision experience we should limit the number of options.

A few years ago I read Stephen R. Covey’s book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. One of the habits he suggested was to make a personal mission statement (Covey, 1989).  As I was going through the process I was overwhelmed at the thought of trying to select a small number of values that were most important to me. At the time I thought that all values were important to me.  However, as I started with a long list and I began to eliminate some of the values that did not seem to reflect who was, I found it much easier to see what was most important in my life. Once I had cut the list down to about 12 or 15 items it became much easier to decide which values to include in my personal mission statement.  The same concept applies to organizations as they develop goals, values, and mission statements.

The second technique for handling choice overload is concretization.  “In order for people to understand the differences between the choices, they have to be able to understand the consequences associated with each choice, and the consequences need to be felt in a vivid sort of way, in a very concrete way” (Iyengar, 2011, 10:23).  Making a choice feel more real can help us to realize what will be the result of our choice.

The third technique is categorization.  Categorization involves dividing a large number of similar items into a small number of categories based on some quality.  Categories help us to quickly recognize what is different between choices that appear similar. When choices are categorized we initially decide on a category, and then we decide on a specific item within the category, effectively breaking a challenging decision of among a large number of options into multiple  decisions involving a few options.

Iyengar’s (2011) last tip for easier decision making is to condition for complexity.  The complexity of the decision should gradually be increased; as simple initial decisions are made we become more engaged and ready to take on challenging complex decisions.  If complex options are provided initially we are not prepared and tend to disengage from decision making.

In my role as a bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints I direct a committee of volunteers.  We hold weekly meetings to discuss how we can best perform our work. I can improve the effectiveness of these meetings by organizing the agenda so that committee members are conditioned for complexity.  Agenda items that have few and simple options should be near the beginning of the meeting; agenda items that involve complex decisions should be planned for later in the meeting. The initial simple decisions will help get committee members engaged in the decision and prepare their minds to focus on, and handle the rigors of the challenging decisions.

Iyengar’s (2011) suggestions for easier decision making can help to keep us engaged in the process, make better choices, and be more satisfied with our decision.  Perhaps variety is the spice of life.  However, as with pepper or chile powder, too much can lead to an unpleasant experience.  

References

Covey, S. (1989). The seven habits of highly effective people. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Iyengar, S. (2011). How to make choosing easier [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/sheena_iyengar_choosing_what_to_choose

Schwartz, B. (2006). More isn’t always better. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2006/06/more-isnt-always-better