The term “choice overload” was coined by the American writer Alvin Toffler in his 1970 book Future Shock. The book was about how people were, at that point, grappling with “too much change in too short a period of time.” Toffler predicted that, as industrialization intensified, the people of the future (which is to say, us) would suffer from a... See more

One study found that offering shoppers more than 22 options increased the likelihood that they would not make any choice.18

Autonomy and freedom of choice are critical to our well being, and choice is critical to freedom and autonomy. Nonetheless, though modern Americans have more choice than any group of people ever has had before, and thus, presumably, more freedom and autonomy, we don't seem to be benefiting from it psychologically"

– Barry Schwartz, The Paradox of

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In other cultures, individual choice isn’t necessarily valued so highly, and this different approach can have a major impact on how people cope with difficult decisions.

After a long day of exhausting decision-making, your brain starts opting for shortcuts

When we do eventually make a decision, choice overload increases the likelihood that we’ll experience post-choice regret.

Research has shown that this mechanism, known as “expectation-disconfirmation,” is a big driver of choice overload.

Choice overload can cause us to delay decision-making, considering the many options available is taxing on our cognitive systems. Having more options also leads to decreased satisfaction, lower confidence in our choices, and a higher chance that we will regret our decisions.1

For example, one study found that people who chose from a large portfolio of vacation destinations were less satisfied and more regretful of their decision than those presented with fewer choices.17