Generally, it is nice to have choices in life. Multiple options can give us a sense of empowerment and anticipation. There are so many areas in life that offer many more choices than previous generations. One area where this is highly prominent is in the grocery store. The rise of massive supermarket franchises like Walmart in the US, or Coles and Woolworths in Australia, are prime examples of how much choice we have compared to decades ago.
In this article we are going to examine a few common and dare I say essential household items, (chocolate is definitely an essential). We will compare how many choices we have now compared to the past, and how having too many choices can lead us to feeling anxious or overwhelmed.
Most of my mature readers would remember when the chocolate aisle had 2 or 3 brands, a few different sizes and milk, dark or white chocolate. Now dark chocolate has percentages of cacao 50%, 70%, 85%, or 90%+ and variations like orange, mint, sea salt, raspberry, cherry ripe, fruit and nut to name a few. Milk chocolate has multiple options such as roast almonds, crunch, peanut caramel, bubbly mint, Turkish delight, black forest, and many more.
You can see this trend repeating across other items such as eggs, pasta, milk, cheese and bread. Eggs are Cage-Free, Caged, Free-Range, or Pasture-Raised, Organic, Non-GMO, Vegetarian-Fed or Omega-3 Enriched. In the past the major choices were between Medium or Large white eggs or possibly brown. Pasta, cheese and milk follow the same trends.
Now surely, having so many options is a good thing, right?
After all, choice represents freedom. More variety means we get to find the exact product that fits our specific taste, budget, or dietary need.
But our psychology doesn’t quite work that way. If you’ve ever spent ten minutes staring blankly at egg cartons, I know I have, you already know the problem. Personally, I have watched clients I was helping with shopping spend 10 minutes in the chocolate aisle just to make a decision. One lady told me she often walks away with nothing because it becomes so overwhelming. Even young people who have never known anything, but an abundance of choices have mentioned that it can be overwhelming.
Back in 1970, psychiatrist Zbigniew Lipowski warned of “The Dilemmas of Affluence.” He observed that as modern society grew wealthier and goods proliferated, having an abundance of attractive options wasn’t making us happier—it was in fact causing mental fatigue and anxiety.
Decades later, psychologist Barry Schwartz validated this phenomenon in his groundbreaking work, The Paradox of Choice. Schwartz demonstrated that past a certain threshold, adding more options doesn’t liberate us—it can paralyse us. Instead of feeling empowered by 40 varieties of pasta sauce or 30 types of eggs, our brains can experience decision fatigue, unreasonable expectations, and a persistent nagging feeling that whatever choice we make, we probably missed out on a better one.
Now some of you might be thinking, I don’t have this problem, but let me ask you this, are you someone who always buys the same milk, bread and eggs every week? Breezing through the store like it’s a timed race and feeling pleased with how you have got this shopping thing mastered. Still have you considered how you might be paying too much or missing out on dietary variety or healthier options.
The modern grocery store has transformed basic staple foods, things that used to involve just one or two choices, into complex decision-making grids and it exists across just about every consumer product in modern society. Think mobile phones, hardware stores, furniture, clothing, the list is nearly endless. Now if you are someone who has ever felt anxious or overwhelmed by this “overload of choices” there are some simple strategies that can help.
Psychologist Barry Schwartz suggested having a baseline criterion for whatever product you are looking to purchase. If you are on a tight budget, then there is little point in umming and ahing over products outside your price range. Narrow down your choices by deciding what your standard or threshold is. This is where a shopping list can be helpful. Decide what you are buying before you walk in the store. Limit your brand choices by deciding on one or two brands and ignore the rest of the shelf entirely. Set a time limit for each shopping item so you don’t get stuck in one aisle section losing the will to live.
As we’ve seen from the grocery aisles to psychological research, more options often just mean more friction, stress, and wasted time. By setting simple boundaries, sticking to our standards, and letting go of the need to find the “perfect” choice every single time, we can take back control of our attention.
Next time you find yourself staring blankly at a wall of chocolate or egg cartons, remember, good enough really is good enough. Give yourself permission to make a simple pick, move on, and save your mental energy for the decisions that matter. In an era where so many things are vying for our attention and draining our mental resources it may be wise to simplify how we make choices.
At the end of the day, having endless choices might look like ultimate freedom, but real freedom is having peace of mind.
Wishing you all the best in your journey,
Phil Miranda
Sources:
Lipowski, Z. J. (1970). The conflict of Buridan’s ass or some dilemmas of affluence: The theory of attractive stimulus overload. American Journal of Psychiatry, 127(3), 273–279. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.127.3.273
Schwartz, Barry (2004). “5”. The Paradox of Choice. New York, United States: Harper Perennial. ISBN 0-06-000568-8.
