When choice becomes stressful

There is an inherent limit to the value of choice. In other words, negative return sets in beyond a point. Everyone finds the idea of having a basket of alternatives to choose from quite comforting. This probably works at two levels. One, it soothes our ego and provides an illusion of free will. Second, it gives us a datum to compare with. Good is not enough. It needs to be better. Better than what? The alternative.

If someone were to say the price of an item is $100, the human mind needs to estimate two things. The intrinsic value of the good as well as the value that good holds for them. When there is no comparison to look at estimating the value can become very difficult. On the other hand, if the price of an item is $100 and another with very minor value addition is $150, we can immediately perceive the first item to be a clear winner. Likewise, if one item offers something we like better than another, we can clearly see the differentiators. In a way choice makes us feel good about making a decision. It gives us the confidence that we are taking the right decision. That we are picking something we really want to.

So this should mean that having more choices is a welcome thing. But it is not. The reason being cost. There is a cost associated with evaluating choices. Choices are comfortable only so long as the alternatives clearly provide processable differences. As long as the choices are limited in number and variety, the mind can pick attributes from various alternatives and weigh their relative value. This ultimately results in picking out the item with the highest relative value among the alternatives. But this cannot go on forever. Beyond a point, the ability to hold onto the differentiators become excruciating and the mind feels cluttered. Suddenly, the problem of too much information overwhelms us and makes us feel insecure about our evaluation of choices. Many alternatives are quite similar in their value and the mind can no longer bucket the alternatives in compartments. It rather becomes a continuum. When this happens, there is an associated anxiety with picking the wrong alternative.

In other words, when there are choices, they also need to be accompanied with significant differences among themselves. Not just that, the differences need to find traction in our mind. The ability to process those differences reduces when the dimensionality and size of choices grows. The frustration of not having choices gets replaced by the frustration of not being able to choose from the available alternatives. This is also accompanied by fear of making a wrong decision. This is when choice becomes stressful and dreadful.