A Slight Change of Plans Finding Satisfaction in a World of Endless Choice
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Mar 3, 2026 
Barry Schwartz, social psychologist and emeritus professor known for work on decision-making, shares bite-sized wisdom on choice overload. He explains why more options can leave us drained. He contrasts maximizing with satisficing. He outlines practical shifts toward reasonable choice and habits that improve satisfaction.
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Grandchild Paralyzed By 150 Toothbrushes
- Barry Schwartz shares a story of a five-year-old grandchild overwhelmed by 150 toothbrush choices.
- The child asked Grandma to pick, illustrating how even small decisions can paralyze people.
Rational Choice Theory Requires Unrealistic Quantification
- Rational choice theory demands quantifying how good outcomes are and their probabilities.
- Barry Schwartz argues this standard is catastrophic because many important values can't be put on the same numeric scale.
Quantification Pushes Important Values Off The Table
- The seduction of quantification makes us focus on measurable negatives and ignore long-term, unquantifiable satisfactions.
- This leads to distorting decisions like undervaluing long-term fulfillment versus short-term costs.
