Choice Paralysis
When I was volunteering with a youth group last year we had lunch dropped off and there was a selection of seven pita types. There wasn't enough of each pita type to feed each person so a choice had to be made. I witnessed an interesting case of the phenomenon known as choice paralysis as they struggled to make the choice they felt best suited them with the information they had.
We had got everyone lined up wrote the type of pita on a label in front of the pitas and invited them to start selecting one then moving to get a drink and snack. Instead of grabbing a pita and heading to the lunch area in the seconds we thought it would take, each one stopped at the front and stared at the pitas. Their eyes hovered, we were asked what the differences were between the types, what they had on them and even if we knew what they tasted like. No one wanted to make the wrong choice (if there was a wrong one to even make). It took about ten minutes to get lunch served and many of the youth looked distraught even after making their choice as they walked away.
My Co-Worker and I were intrigued (and slightly annoyed) by the indecisiveness. The next day we did lunch with the group again and we ordered two types of pitas: turkey and ham. Even then we had to deal with some agonizing choice hesitation. People would stop and stare at the two different options and you could almost see the cost/risk analysis being conducted in their heads. We were still asked about which one we thought would taste better. It took about five minutes to feed everyone. So moving the selection from seven choices to two cut the time in about half but there were still people that stopped and just stared at the choices offered to them to analysis.
We fed the group subs from subway on a later occasion and this time (minus dietary needs) I handed the person a sub and we completed the feeding line in about 2 minutes. No one complained or asked for another option. When the choice was made for them, there was little hesitation to accept. You don’t worry or agonize over what you don’t know.
The more choice we offered them the more information they required before they would make a choice. The fear of missing out on the "right" selection caused anxiety and hesitancy. For some even after making a decision, they didn't look happy making that decision as if they wanted more time to think about it but felt pressured to make a choice. This was all despite the fact that there was no downside to one choice over another. They would all get fed regardless. It came down to personal taste.
Have you faced choice paralysis? What is the longest time you’ve spent comparing brands/prices/quality of multiple brands? Did you feel satisfied after or did you experience the anxiety of missing out?
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The funny thing is, people will say that willfully depriving people access to more choices is bad. But even when there was experience with having had more options in the past they were content with having only the choice made for them.
Anyway, if you're being fed by other people, you don't get to be precious about what's on offer. When other people go out of their way to get food together and prepare it/pay for it then you should be happy it's there at all. We are all so used to luxuries these days so many people do not even understand them as the luxuries they are. It's given even people who've grown up in low income families a taste of the stereotypical spoiled rich kid. Such is the excess developed western society allows. We should learn to not take that for granted.
Well, no matter how many political parties we have to choose from there is no choice paralysis for me. They all suck...ha..ha.