Book review of The Paradox of choices of

1. The Paradox of ChoiceWhy more is less By Barry Schwartz

2. Content 2 Choice and freedom Ignoring the options Making good decisions Why we suffer What can we do

3. Isn’t choice a good thing?

4. Content 4 Choice and freedom Ignoring the options Making good decisions Why we suffer What can we do

5. There’s a fundamental difference between choice and freedom 5 CHOICE FREEDOM = essential autonomy, which is fundamental to well-being ! The fact that some choice is good does not necessarily mean that more choice is better = essential to self-respect, public participation, mobility and nourishment ! Not all choice enhances freedom: it may impair freedom by taking time & energy

6. Why people can’t ignore many or some of the options 6 It’s in our faces every day Standard of comparison Tyranny of small decisions An industry of marketers & advertisers makes products difficult or impossible to ignore We have a tendency to look around at what others are doing and use them as a standard of comparison It always seems easy to add just one more item to the array that is already being considered

7. Content 7 Choice and freedom Ignoring the options Making good decisions Why we suffer What can we do

8. Making good decisions 8 Figure out your goals Evaluate the importance of each goal Array the options Evaluate how likely each of the options is to meet your goals Pick the winning option Later use the winning consequence of your choice to modify your goals, the importance you assign them & the way you evaluate future posibilities

10. Are less happy, less optimistic & more depressed

11. More susceptible to all forms of regret (“buyers remorse”)People can be a maximizer or a satisficer depending on the specific situation

12. Content 10 Choice and freedom Ignoring the options Making good decisions Why we suffer What can we do

13. Why we suffer 11 Choice & happiness Missed opportunities The problem of regret The problem of adaption

14. Why we sufferChoice & happiness 12 Instrumental It enables people to get what they want Expressive It enables people to say who they are Psychological It enables people to actively and effectively engage in the world Benefits of choice BUT Too many choices = unhappy

15. Why we sufferMissed opportunities 13 How can it be so hard to choose? Distinguishing between good and bad is far simpler matter than distinguishing better from best

16. Why we sufferThe problem of adaption Perceptual adaption Decreased responsiveness to sights, sounds, odors and the like as people continue to experience them Hedonic adaption Adaption to pleasure  Novelty can change someone’s hedonic standards so that what was once good enough, or even better than that, no longer is 14 Simply by being aware of the process of adaption, we can anticipate its effects and therefore be less disappointed when it comes

18. Near misses

19. Responsibility for resultsThe prospect of regret is not only an important consequence of many decisions, but the prospect of regret is an important cause of many decisions

20. Content 16 Choice and freedom Ignoring the options Making good decisions Why we suffer What can we do

21. What can we do about it? 17 Choose when to choose Be a chooser, not a picker Satisfy more and maximize less Think about the opportunity costs of opportunity costs Make your decisions nonreversable Practice an attitude of gratitude Regret less Anticipate adaption Control expectations Curtail social comparison Learn to love constraints

23. More examples on how other people used the book which can inspire you to easy your life