Do you ever wonder just how many decisions you make every day? It’s about 35,000 for the average adult, according to researchers. And that estimate only factors in your conscious choices.
From simple decisions like what to eat to major ones like where to live, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the wealth of options. This dilemma is what experts call “choice overload.”
According to The Decision Lab, choice overload is “the difficulty of making a choice when presented with many options, especially when all options seem to have equal value.” The company researches behavioral science to help individuals and organizations make important decisions.
In “Out of Your Mind,” authors Jorge Cham, an engineer-turned-cartoonist, and Dwayne Godwin, a neuroscientist, explore the complicated aspects of the human brain.
One section of their book explains how having too many choices can negatively affect you, and a simple way you can overcome that choice overload.
Too many choices can lead to FOMO
Fear of missing out, or FOMO, is the negative emotion you experience when compare your life to other people’s, which can make you feel left behind.
And having too many choices is one of the factors that can cause you to “compare yourself more to others, and you’re more likely to second-guess yourself,” Cham and Godwin wrote.
“This is called ‘social comparison,’ where you not only think you made the wrong choice, but you think someone else made a better one.”
FOMO is more prevalent now that people can follow along with what others are doing on social media, Cham and Godwin noted. A cartoon Cham illustrated in the book depicts a young man watching a video of someone else on vacation and exclaiming, “I’m not living my best life!”
Even if you are content with where you are, perceiving another person’s actions as better can make you unhappy about your own choices.
The pair point to a study that used data from multiple surveys where people were asked how happy they were, then prompted to consider how their income compared to that of their neighbors.
“The study found that people’s happiness increased the higher their income,” they wrote. “But their happiness decreased the lower they thought their income was compared to others.”
To limit choice overload, practice simplicity
Having many options can feel exciting, “but sometimes not having any choice can make us happier,” Cham and Godwin wrote.
But you can reduce your number of choices you have to make. Cham and Godwin suggest you take a page out of the book of Buddhist monks, and embrace simplicity.
“Buddhist monks aspire to live a life of simplicity and minimalism, with fewer possessions compared to the average person,” the pair said.
“Reducing choices lets Buddhist monks avoid the stress and anxiety that can come with making complex decisions. This can lead to a sense of clarity and calmness, with fewer feelings of indecision and worry.”
Aim to craft your life so that you have enough options to feel content, but aren’t overburdened by too many choices that can lead to frustration.
“And if having too many choices is unavoidable, seek the opinion of others,” Cham and Godwin wrote.
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