In the 1990s the UK had four TV channels, five or six flavours of crisp (chip) and three flavours of ice cream - vanilla, strawberry and chocolate. Now in the 2020s, potential options have ballooned 100-fold. There are 480 terrestrial TV channels,1 from ‘Aaj Tak’ to ‘Zing’ - with near infinite streaming on top. Meanwhile, Crisp Nation2 provides names for more than 600 branded crisp products - that it is aware of - from ‘Parsnip & Manuka Honey’ to ‘Guinness Rich Beef Chilli.’ I couldn’t find an equivalent ice cream list, but one can now sample ‘Cloudwater Chocolate Stout’ ice cream and ‘Seaweed Sorbet,’ which looks as unappetising as it sounds.3
Bewildering options are, as you will have noticed, not limited to these items. Breakfast cereals, utility companies, insurance providers, coffee, banks and phones / internet all have many options. It is possible to specify every last detail of a new car, a far cry from Henry Ford’s offer of ‘any colour as long as it’s black.’ On top of this, websites make it possible to compare near identical products and services with a level of detail that borders on the obsessive. A hypothetical scenario might go as follows:
Person A: This rucksack / kettle / laptop / shed is cheaper, but it has fewer stars. What do you think?
Person B: I just want it to hold stuff / boil water / work / stop the tools getting wet... and not cost too much!
All of this choice is proven to be mentally exhausting, even for those who don’t think they are affected.4 When there were five kettles in the shop, it was easier to select one over the others. Seven types of breakfast cereal? Same story. One electricity provider rather than a deregulated confusopoly?5 Literally zero stress.
Now that there are so many possibilities, lots of humans freeze, like rabbits in the headlights. We overthink our options, especially for bigger decisions, trying to insulate ourselves against future regret. The more options, the more potential to make the ‘wrong call’ and the greater the tendency to agonise. After a while, a decision must be made, but the only true options are:
1. A purchase, followed by regret;
2. A delay (analysis paralysis).
Case-in-point: ‘Person A’ (maybe someone I know) is currently in the market for a new smart-watch. The current one has not told the correct time for six months, nor does it track excercise accurately. These are grounds for a replacement. However, the potential to buy the wrong replacement has so far prevented a commitment.
And commitment is important when making a decision. Thankfully, I am too old to have experienced online dating, but I am led to believe that it can be pretty awful. There is no longer a relatively small pool of potential ‘matches’ in a given town or city, in which comparisons - and commitment - are relatively straight-forward. Mobile apps now hold the promise of thousands of matches. Thousands of nearly identical matches, each of which may - or may not be - better than the last. Again, there are two options - impulse followed by regret - or analysis paralysis. Neither of these options is very likely to lead to a long-term romantic partnership, especially if you spend the first week or two deciding which dating app is the ‘best.’
So what can be done? There are many suggestions out there for those affected by analysis paralysis:
1. Making small choices quickly, e.g.: buy something without looking at reviews;
2. Treating decisions as if they are irreversible, even if they could be reversed - This stops regret from ‘setting in’ in the first place;
3. Avoiding situations where analysis paralysis is more likely. For example, low-cost supermarkets typically have fewer options than more expensive ones;
4. Letting your gut guide you - it is in charge of how you will feel about a decision afterwards, rather than worrying about a hypothetical ‘best’ overall solution;
5. Accepting that the perfect option... is not out there!
1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_channels_in_the_ United_Kingdom;
2. www.crispnation.com/the-crisp-list.html;
3. www.greatbritishchefs.com/features/unusual-ice-cream-flavoursuk (No. 7);
4. thedecisionlab.com/biases/choice-overload-bias;
5. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confusopoly;
6. www.healthline.com/health/ mental-health/analysis-paralysis.
