The Incredible Weight of Choice
“Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.”
– Wayne Dyer
I recently visited one of our larger grocery stores, (my favorite is Stu Leonard’s in Norwalk, CT) to purchase three varieties of cheese for a party. I ‘thought’ I knew what I wanted. However, the more I explored, the more overwhelmed and indecisive I became. Hundreds of types of cheese confronted me. I was in ‘choice overwhelm’. Yikes!
I almost left the store in frustration making no choice (which is a choice) but… instead, I began grabbing different types of cheese. Instead of choosing the three cheeses I came to buy, I bought 10.
I buckled under the weight of choice.
CHOICE: The opportunity or power to choose between two or more possibilities; the opportunity or power to make a decision.
– Merriam-Webster Dictionary
There has never been a point in human history with such a wide variety of choice: phones, lifestyles, insurance policies and products of all kinds. That includes choice about our goals, health, politics, education, time, families, friends and, oh yes, our attitudes.
One reason choice is so difficult is that by making a choice, we sacrifice what could have been possible by making other choices.
LIFE FACT: Good News and Bad news: Once you make a choice, you make the ‘visible – ‘invisible’
Choice is such a deceptively simple word, one that at first glance can easily be dismissed. It is only when you realize the choices you make weaves the unique fabric of your life. If you choose to turn right, the options you would see making a left turn would stay hidden. If you choose to say “no,” the opportunities that might have appeared drop behind the cloak of invisibility.
By making a choice, we sacrifice what could have been possible by making other choices. On a subconscious, hidden level, the fear of loss rears its ugly head.
There is no better example of the ‘weight’ of making a choice than the prominent research about choice called the ‘jam study’ that is often used to illustrate this point. Sheena Iyengar, a professor of business at Columbia University and the author of “The Art of Choosing,” conducted the study in 1995.
Journalist Alina Tugend writes in the Feb. 26, 2010 of the ‘New York Times’, Too Many Choices: A Problem That Can Paralyze
“In a California gourmet market, Professor Sheena Iyengar, professor at Columbia Business School, and her research assistants set up a booth of samples of Wilkin & Sons jams. Every few hours, they switched from offering a selection of 24 jams to a group of six jams. On average, customers tasted two jams, regardless of the size of the assortment, and each one received a coupon good for $1 off one Wilkin & Sons jam.
Here’s the interesting part. Sixty percent of customers were drawn to the large assortment, while only 40 percent stopped by the small one. But 30 percent of the people who had sampled from the small assortment decided to buy jam, while only 3 percent of those confronted with the two dozen jams purchased a jar.
That study “raised the hypothesis that the presence of choice might be appealing as a theory,” Professor Iyengar said last year, “but in reality, people might find more and more choice to actually be debilitating.”
Over the years, variabilities of ‘jam study’ have been conducted using all sorts of subjects, like speed dating, chocolate, retirement investment options, 401(k) plans and even online product selection.
In order to learn more about ‘choice’ I suggest you watch the YouTube presentation by Seena lyergar entitled ‘The Art of Choosing’ below.
LIFE FACT: Like constantly having a weight strapped on your back, making decisions often causes mental fatigue
There are numerous sneaky ‘tricks of manipulation’ that affect our choices. The sneakiest and sometimes nastiest is BIAS.
Trick of manipulation #1: BIAS:
BIAS: “Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.”
– Oxford Dictionary
Some biases are conscious. For example, I know why I choose theater over sports and living in the country over living in the city.
However, I’m not sure why I prefer the color purple over the color orange or prefer to write in what may look like a disorganized, chaotic environment.
Embedded bias is everywhere and affects our goals and even how we treat others. It manipulates us to focus our energies against not losing over creating something new.
Studies by ‘The Neuroleadership Institute’ identified that, in a work-place environment, unconscious biases can affect hiring and promotion decisions, work assignments, and career tracks, and unfortunately can end up a part of harassment, hostile work environments, and discrimination lawsuits.
It’s important to understand bias as a concept and do self-reflection and awareness work that uncovers your personal biases and learn to develop counter-behaviors.
Trick of manipulation #2: PRIMING:
Priming refers to a psychological phenomenon in which exposure to one stimulus influences the response to a subsequent, related stimulus. These stimuli are often conceptually related to words or images.
(Stare at the above ‘red’ choices for five seconds. Now, look at the ‘CHOICES’ below.)
(Which ‘CHOICES’ did you see first?)
This is a simple example of ‘priming’. By having you stare at Image #1, you were primed to see the red ‘CHOICES’ first in Image #2.
We often “anchor” our decisions based around the ‘first piece’ of information we receive.
This phenomenon occurs without our conscious awareness, yet can have a major impact on numerous aspects of our everyday lives.
The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective. You don’t have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it.
– Chris Pine, American actor
Mental Health advocate, Brenda Calisaan, explains, “Priming works not only with words but with images, sounds, and even actions. It can affect various cognitive processes, such as perception, attention, and memory. Because it operates outside of our conscious awareness, priming can subtly influence our thoughts, feelings, and actions, often without us realizing it.”
Priming is a powerful tool in various fields such as marketing, where it can be used to influence consumer choices, or in therapy, where it can help to change negative thought patterns.
Priming also helps explain why, after you see or hear a closely related concept, some things spring to mind faster. This can help with recall, but it can also impair your ability to think of unrelated ideas.
Research shows that ‘priming’ can affect how you perceive things in the real-world, like influencing how you hear song lyrics. It can also shape your behavior and how you feel about yourself and others.
Like music playing softly in the background, priming occurs outside our conscious awareness. Priming plays an essential role in your day-to-day choice making, from influencing how you interpret information to your behavior, from your perceptions to your emotions and actions.
Trick of manipulation #3: FRAMING:
FRAMING: “Frames are psychological referencing systems that all people use to gain a perspective and relevance on issues. Frames influence judgment. Frames change the meaning of human behavior.”
— Oren Klaff, author
Two Israeli psychologists, Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, are responsible for introducing the framing effect which they define:
“Framing refers to the cognitive bias that occurs when individuals interpret and perceive information based on how it is presented or framed. It involves highlighting specific aspects of a situation or issue to influence the opinions and decisions of others. By shaping the context or perspective of information, framing can influence how individuals understand and make judgments about a particular topic.”
LIFE FACT: Framing can either lead a person to a positive choice or a negative choice.
Kahneman and Tversky list instances wherein the framing of the same information can lead a person to choose one option over another:
Consider:
-While looking for a disinfectant, you choose a product that kills 95% of all the germs (positive frame), over one which claims that 5% of the germs will survive (negative frame).
-You’re concerned about your blood sugar level, and you choose a chocolate that is ‘90% sugar-free’ (positive frame) over one that is ‘10% sugar’ (negative frame).
– A doctor tells a patient that a procedure has a ‘90% success rate’ (positive frame) versus a ‘10% failure rate’ (negative frame). The patient is more likely to opt for the procedure with positive framing.
I trust it is clear how we often get trapped in ‘The weight of choice overload’.
It’s one thing to limit your choices when buying a product. It’s quite another thing to make choices concerning your health, family, friends, team or co-workers.
After questioning a number of friends, family and clients, I’ve listed nine suggestions which I trust will help you make choices easier and less ‘weighty’.
Taking some weight of choice begins with AWARENESS.
Suggestions for taking a Quantum Leap in ‘Choice’
Suggestion #1: Identify the issue:
Specifically, what is the problem you want to solve? What aspects of your life do you want to, or will you need to change?
(If the choice is small and will not have a significant impact on your life, make it, move on, and skip the next suggestions.)
Suggestion #2: List your goals:
How will your choice affect your present and future goals and impact your personal and professional life?
Suggestion #3: Calculate your options:
Consider the wide range of options you have to choose from and, if you’re comfortable, consult with others for suggestions.
Suggestion #4: Gather information:
Collect internal and external information, specifically facts, to support your decision.
Suggestion #5: Take a ‘pause’ and reflect!
“Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
– Often attributed to Steven Covey or Viktor E. Frankl
Take the PAUSE!
Your ‘pause’ does not have to take more than a few seconds. That few seconds creates the time needed to slightly slow down your response time to making a choice. This slowing down is massively important, but the brain works fast. You will make a better choice.
Enough said.
Suggestion #6: Choose the option with the best alignment with you, your values and beliefs:
I want you to understand yourself-your beliefs, your values, and your life choices. Identify what resonates with you and the more authentic your choices will be.
Values provide a framework for your decision-making process. Values are our most uniquely individual beliefs about what is important. Values are the mental maps of the way we think things should be. They are our deepest convictions, our primary filter through which we view reality, our ‘True North’.
Here is an exercise to determine the priority of your values:
a) List five of your values.
b) Next, circle the three values you consider most important and let them be your guide.
c) In one sentence, write the choice you are considering. Ask yourself, “Does the choice align with my most important values?”
d) Make two columns: In one column, list the positive aspects of the choice you’re considering. In the second column, list the negative aspects of the choice you’re considering. Focus on the positive.
If you need additional help on determining your values, I encourage you to read an article I wrote entitled: The Magic of Personal, Family and Organizational Values.
Suggestion #7: Make your choice:
Consider the consequences of each option and choose the best one. Also, consider the benefits arising from your decision. Focus more on the gain rather than on averting any loss.
Suggestion #8: Create a plan:
Set specific tasks that may be required. And, to avoid procrastination, set a deadline and stick with it.
Suggestion #9: Take action!
Get going now, right now!
Take the ‘weight’ of choosing and you will lessen the ‘weight’ of making all your choices.
IMAGINE THAT!
James Mapes is a keynote speaker, best-selling author, coach and hypnotist. His most recent book IMAGINE THAT! Igniting Your Brain for Creativity and Peak Performance is the first web-supported book with access to 21 video-coaching clips.
James Mapes is the founder of Quantum Leap Thinking™, creator of The Transformational Coach™, expert on the psychology of “applied imagination,” best-selling author, highly acclaimed business speaker, consultant, seminar leader and personal excellence coach.