Ep. 131 - Too Much Too Much: Helping Your Brain with Overchoice

In a world of endless options, why does making a simple choice sometimes feel impossible? In this episode we are going to take a look at the concept of "overchoice" and how too many choices can lead to exhaustion. We unpack why more isn't always better and look at practical strategies to help cut through the noise and find the fewer, better things. 

Transcript

In our digital, on-demand world, we are conditioned to having choices - the more the better. There are QR codes for menus, add-to-cart options on our apps, and we can binge watch all  at our technical fingertips. 

But how much is too much?

Science has an answer for that. 

The Bottom Line on Top of this episode is that too much of a good thing can quickly become a burden on your brain. 

The psychological term here is overchoice, or choice fatigue. This refers to when choosing between a large variety of options can be detrimental to our decision making process. Having a lot of equally appealing choices makes it harder to make a choice at all. 

For me, I relate this to what it’s like to look at a menu at the Cheesecake Factory restaurant. For anyone who has ever visited one of these mammoth restaurants, you’ll know that it offers more than cheesecake. Far more. In fact, I looked it up and its menu has more than 20 pages and lists 250 different food and drink options. Nobody needs that many choices.

And let’s also pause and acknowledge the fact that choice of any type is a privilege. While that’s very true, too much choice also has a tangible impact on our brain and our energy. 

Much like our common friend called decision fatigue, there is a law of diminishing return, when we get too much all at once. Our brain throws up a white flag and tips into overthinking and that feeling of analysis paralysis. 

And it’s not always tied to decisions offered at one time, like in the example of a menu. There is a cumulative effect that occurs when you’re facing a choice where you’re weighing options. Examples of this could be when you are trying to select a school, applying for jobs, choosing a place to live, and don’t even get me started on dating apps. 

In these cases, we can get stuck in indecision. Episode 24 outlines how indecision becomes a decision. 

Initially, having more choices can lead to more satisfaction, but as the number of choices increases it then peaks and we start to feel more pressure, confusion, and potentially dissatisfaction with our choice. 

This is especially true if you’re already prone to FOMO, the fear of missing out. 

Although more choices can be initially appealing, fewer options lead to increased satisfaction and reduced regret in our brain. Another component of overchoice is the perception of time. Extensive choice can seem even more difficult with a limited time constraint. Have you ever been the one in the restaurant that says “everybody else order and come to me last.” We’re trying to process a bunch of choices in our brain very quickly. 

One thing I’ve mentioned before, especially as it relates to information psychology, is the concept of magical number 7. This was introduced back in the 1950s by Harvard professor George Miller and it refers to the number of objects that can be held in our short term memory–and that’s known as magical number 7 because the sweet spot is usually 5 things that our brian can be processing (+- 2, that’s how we get to the 7). This also applies to our decision making, when we have anything more than 5 good, quality choices (and anywhere from 3 up to 7) that’s when the brain starts to kick into overthinking.

A key component of overchoice is that there isn’t a clear priority or preference for one item over the others. So we’re looking at options that are perceived as equal in terms of quality. 

So what’s causing all this cognitive drama? Mainly because we are feeling *responsible* for making a “right” decision. The feeling of responsibility causes cognitive dissonance - this is when we start to take actions that oppose our desire; such as we want to be healthier but we’re not taking time to exercise or eat better. We just marinate in our goals without taking any actions to it because there is just too much to decide on.

Recognizing this, what can help when we find ourselves marinating in all of these options? Episode 61 talks about the concept of Occam’s razor, which suggests that the simplest explanation or solution is often the best one. So simple doesn’t always equate sorting our thoughts though. 

So here’s a tactic to try as you start to use that Occam’s razor to trim down your mental choices: Make your own multiple choice - and do so in two steps, if needed. 

Start by selecting a handful of equal(ish) options. So back to George Miller–no more than about 5. Then cut that in half. So even if you go up to 7 and you cut that in half, you’re still then allowing your brain to process fewer things. And the short list of selections are sure to satisfy a lot more than having 250 all at once. In this case, fewer things lead to better choices. (That’s me staying on brand for this podcast!)

Again, living in our modern world provides a plethora of plenty. And all we really need is far less than what we can have. 

So when you find yourself swimming in choice, create your own magical shortlist. Chances are, the choices will all be quality ones. And for that, we’ve already won. Take a look at your menu, make it a little shorter and then decide–it’s the best way we can take care of our brain during times of a little too much choice.