The researchers set up a jam-tasting stall in a California supermarket and offered customers

varieties of jam – sometimes 6, sometimes 24.

They found the display of 24 jams attracted more customers, but only 3% of jam tasters

actually bought jam. When they displayed 6 varieties, 30% of those who tasted the jam

bought some.

And the customers were more satisfied with their choice if it was from a smaller number

of options. The less choice, the better.

In “The Paradox of Choice”, psychologist Barry Schwartz labelled that feeling of too

many jams or the choice of too many candy bars or menu items as “choice overload”.

The idea isn't new—in the 1300s French philosopher Jean Buridan theorised if you were faced with

the choice of two equally tempting options, you would delay your choice. Like an equally

thirsty and hungry donkey choosing between a bucket of water and a pile of hay. Things

don’t end well for the donkey.

Schwartz points out that modern society has more choices than ever before, which leads

to a decrease in your motivation to choose and dissatisfaction with your final choice.

But this is kind of counterintuitive when you consider the supreme number of options

stores and brands have.

At Domino's Pizza they have 39 menu options and at Starbucks, 120 beverage options. I

went and counted them.

Economist Tim Harford said “It is hard to find much evidence that retailers are ferociously

simplifying their offerings in an effort to boost sales.”

Normally research kind of informs business practices... I’m confused.

A few years ago researchers in Switzerland did a big analysis of 50 experiments similar

to the jam study. These experiments offered participants things like jelly beans, coffee,

dating partners and wallpaper -- all where participants had to choose between a variety

of options.

But they couldn't find any evidence of the "choice is bad" effect.

Nothing was wrong with how the jam study was conducted, their findings were just... Different.

The reality is that we can't really say if more or less options motivate you to make

a decision. Or if you’ll be satisfied with that decision. And a lot of other things affect

your capacity to choose: like what mood you're in or how difficult the decision is.

Maybe choice isn’t as much of a paradox or brain jam as some psychologists have led

us to believe.

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