Decision Fatigue - The Decision Lab

While offering ample choice is regarded as essential by many retailers, this too can prove disempowering when it obliges shoppers to invest an excessive amount of cognitive energy in reaching a decision. It causes them to shift from shopping on subconscious autopilot and compels them to engage in rational, conscious thought processes.

In The Paradox of Choice, the psychologist Barry Schwartz argues that infinite choice – whether of mutual funds, breakfast cereals or lovers – is exhausting to the human psyche and leads to greater dissatisfaction. When presented with too many choices, we are not only stunned, like a kid in the proverbial candy shop, but also less satisfied with th

cognitive load. If we are trying to make a buying decision and there are many factors to take into account – such as weighing up prices, product features, how often we might use the product, whether the product is likely to be better quality than the other options, etc – it can overwhelm and overtax our conscious System 2 minds