The Paradox of Choice

Why More is Less

By: Barry Schwartz

Narrated by: Ken Kliban

Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

In the spirit of Alvin Tofflers' Future Shock, a social critique of our obsession with choice, and how it contributes to anxiety, dissatisfaction and regret.

Whether were buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long-distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a 401(k), everyday decisions - both big and small - have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented.

We assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But beware of excessive choice: choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision-making paralysis, anxiety, and perpetual stress. And, in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression.

In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains at what point choice - the hallmark of individual freedom and self-determination that we so cherish - becomes detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz shows how the dramatic explosion in choice--from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs--has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution. Schwartz also shows how our obsession with choice encourages us to seek that which makes us feel worse.

©2004 Barry Schwartz (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Glad I listened, but keep an open mind

Gav's Notes Review (like Cliff Notes...read below for a full review)

In keeping with my usual form, I present my grade of 3 stars (read below for what that means to me.)

The two things I did not like the most about the book.

a) The cramming down my throat about how horrible the author feels about how many options we have...like all the different college classes available or the number of jeans available.

b) The fabricating of facts to justify the above feelings...i.e. using Havard and Princeton as examples for how many options college students have in picking a degree and how there is no foundation of education classes in college anymore. I would say about 95% of schools require their student to fulfill a core curriculum and its hardly proof to the contrary when a couple ivy league school choose a different route.

The two things I like/took away from the book

a) choices do not equal freedom, therefore having more choices does not make us more free...he goes on about how many people think this to be true and I think he has a good point. He then goes south and hypotheses that our palathra of choices leads to things like clinical depression and others psychological problems that have increased with more choices. He doesn't prove this to be causation or even present evidence that this is more than correlation, just states it as his opinion...what?!?!

b) I like some of the examples he makes and points he brings up. I found the most value in the more subtle points he mentions like how more options wastes time if we try to research most or all of them and how we generally find a characteristic, i.e. a brand, to limit our choices and once we make a choice we generally do not re-evaluate the choices once new options are presented.

Overall it is an interesting read, provided you can tune out the "preaching" of the author. The narrator seems a bit off for this book and grates on the ears, in my opinion, or maybe I was already bothered by the words he was saying so he seemed to bother me too.

Either way the book is worth a read but I would get it on sale or from the library. its not helped by being 10 years old so the authors doom and gloom hypothesis seems foolish now.

1 Star = I could not finish it
2 Stars = I finished it but would not recommend it to a friend.
3 Stars = I read it and would recommend it but do not plan on reading it again.
4 Stars = I read it, recommend it and would read it again
5 Stars = I read it, recommend it and will add it to my annual reading collection

Usually when an author has a point to make they realize its best to present the evidence and let the listener draw their own conclusions. That is the point of critical thinking.
However, this author presents all evidence like it is the downfall of society, from the number of classes the average college student can pick form now, vs what he did in college...to the number of TV shows one can pick when including the "Tivo" options of today, when one can record any TV show. He worried that "two people hanging around the water cooler will have no shows in common because of all the choices." The fallacy is obvious 10 years later, with Netflix and other services allowing even more options there are still hit TV shows that everyone watches.
And this shows the true value of this book. Not so much in the points the author tries to shove down your throat but in the subtler points he makes about topics like time waisted with more options and his best point, choices do not equal freedom, therefore more choices do not equal greater freedom.

Great Book!!

lots of things to learn from this book. This book presents a very excellent view on options and how these options impacts us.

Makes good points but is a bit of a drag

Choices . some is good. too many hurts you. but it's a bit long. if you get this book, check the last chapter which sums up the book. if you want to dig deeper start from the beginning

good advice

kind-of obvious now but makes a lot of sense. Definitely worth a listen. Good book

Interesting read

it made me more aware of the choices I'm making in my life and how to approach it when there is many options to not get overwhelmed and depressed

Decisions Defined

What did you love best about The Paradox of Choice?

I really enjoyed the examples and case studies. The last chapter of the book is pure Gold.

What about Ken Kliban’s performance did you like?

Easy voice to listen to.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Your Choices Don't Matter....Why More is Less

It was just ok, but could use a better reader

It was a decent book, but some of the examples are vastly overdone far beyond what’s needed to make the point. I also didn’t care too much for the reader as his inflections seemed really awkward at times.

Great book

I've read a lot of books on this particular topic, and this is one of the best. I highly recommend it.

Enlightening

Made me think about my indecisive nature and why I choose what I do

Scientific proof that " More is Less"

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have recommended it to all my family and close friends because I think they would relate to the concepts and find some helpful ideas about how to manage and live in overchoice world.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Paradox of Choice?

...the realization that we are making our children anxious and frazzled with overchoice

Have you listened to any of Ken Kliban’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

What did you learn from The Paradox of Choice that you would use in your daily life?

I think much more about putting myself in a situation where there are too many choices. Also I am trying to construct my environment so that there will be fewer "wrong" choices .

Any additional comments?

Great read for perfectionists :)