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  • hes a little right, but only at certain times is it true for most people i think.

    just try to know what you want out of life, and dont have regrets.

  • barry mustn't have had much of a choice when he picked out his outfit for that day.

  • I agree: life's menu has too many options.

    Want more moments of unexpected happiness?: Relax need for perfect choices, and make random decisions...

  • Actually Apple focuses on this. Less is more. Giving the customer less options to choose off (except the size of your iPhone, iPod or iPad). Compared to different companies which offer a sh!tload of choices (like Samsung). I don't say any of those companies are bad, but you have more choice so you will be more confused about what is the right product for you and what is the wrong one.

  • @onee I agree, but it depends on the product. Too many of any one commodity is bad. But when each product is different in one way or another, it is good; lack of variety will kill a company. But too many of any one item will kill the company because it frustrates the customer.

  • @kvmadj This is true, but sometimes companies make varieties for no reason like my brother who had bought an Nokia XpressMusic 2 years ago. You had a version which had 2G and no GPS. A version which had 3G and no GPS. And a version with 3G and GPS. You had to pay €100 more for 3G and GPS. Why would you make a variety if you already expect that 3G and GPS are going to be the future? And this was just one of the many phones Nokia sells.

  • @Rottensteam he said it himself- "The key to happiness is to have low expectations" If wearing clothes for the function instead of the fashion makes him happy, why should you care what he is wearing?

  • Why does some people not think about what they're wearing?

  • "Nice tux" Barry, it complements your skin color

  • The big problem is imaginary opportunity cost in the big choices in life, kids/career, stock market/10K job that affect our satisfaction but also our motivation because in these kind of "path" choices there will be bumpy patches. The simplest example is when people have "experienced" easy money (stock market) they are less motivated to work for "hard" money through the difficulties of work. This is the biggest problem with choice and one of the main problems of society today.

  • I"m generally pretty happy with my choices. I guess it depends on your attitude. Also, voluntary redistribution is fine and can help everyone. Force redistribution centrally planned by some elite class usually isn't very helpful and does more harm than good.

  • It is difficult to buy a phone that does only the simple things. At no time is that more true than today

  • He was my professor at Swarthmore. He always dresses like that

  • Homosexual activists understand the power of words.

    Please visit my channel to watch a one-minute video clip in which popular atheist author Richard Dawkins admits that homosexual activists "hijacked the word 'gay'".

    The word "homosexual" is more appropriate and accurate because it, unlike the word "gay", actually describes the behavior/attraction/relationsh­ip being discussed.

    The word "gay" helps homosexual activists push their agenda.

  • For those interested, there is an unofficial chatroom on IRC. #tedtalks on the Freenode network.

  • There's so much choice out there that I often limit my choices to a single favorite brand; for example, I only buy Levi's jeans even though they might not be the best looking, best fit, best value, etc...

  • in the old days he wouldn't have had to choose to dress so haphazardly

  • "Choice" is not necessarily the same as "freedom" - think about it.

  • @musoderelict Choice is a result from having freedom. but yes, you are correct, they aren't the same.

  • @musoderelict for ex: *puts a gun to head* choose how to die, no really you're free to decide, neck, chest, head

    or more current... "live as you wish as long as the wealth you produce, one way or another comes to us bankers"

  • i watched this video on one half of the screen whilst i was on ebay on the other half, trying to choose 1 pair out of 2062 pairs of nike shoes to buy.

  • The more freedom is not always more welfare imo

  • The income distribution is meant to be on a global scale, not national. If you have minimum wage you still have to choose banks, hedge funds and account names as often as the next guy.

    It's a completely different situation when your choices are "eat rice and water" or die.

  • amazing

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  • Great video - I've used this TED talk in a short blog post on choice 7 happiness on Nextstarfish

  • in happiness, in love, one doesn't worry about what is lost when one makes a choice

    the key is to love, appreciate, and improve where possible

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  • Income Re-distribution = This is what Zakaah (form among the Islamic Pillars) is in a nutshell.

  • I don't really support his whole outlook, at least on the small side of things.. Day-to-day life, numerous choices don't really hinder me - the choice is too insignificant for me to care, I'd hope that's how most people are..

  • lol people fighting

  • There was something ironic about seeing a BMW commercial right after this speech...

  • First world problems.

  • @SlycerX Uh, yeah dude... he talks about that himself. Did you finish watching the video?

  • This explains why I can never come to a decision about anything.... People always its no big deal just pick something, but I am always weighing all my options and when I finally choose I keep thinking I should have done something different. I feel like I can never win. LOL

  • Happiness deals directly with your perception of your reality. The only thing that choice has to do with it is whether you choose to be happy or not. The REAL problem is that people believe they have to work to become happy, however as the field of positive psychology has relentlessly proven, that formula is backwards. You must be happy to become successful! How do you become happy? Believe in yourself and be grateful. It is a simple thing.

  • I was watching this video with eyes wide open because I realized that the answers that I have been searching to explain my so-called "paralysis of choice" were being dictated to me by this man. Thank you Mr Barry Schwartz

  • @felixshin8 You share with me 100% of your opinion.

  • I liked the conclusion & the presentation was pretty flawless. The word play makes it hard to argue with his theory."He presumes to much freedom is a recipe for disaster."

    While it can be thought of as an evolution of the human mind in the place with time too see what capabilityes the leaving mind has to seek out a soothing emotion such as happiness and love as a form of choice. It is clear that the leaving can't stay in the same state of mind, it has to stride for growth just like our cosmos.

  • We get it already, you hate technology and choice because you think Joe Sixpack is too stupid to make the best choice.

  • SUBBBSCRIIIBEED! XD

  • good presentation

  • What the fuck is this guy wearing

  • @Hossguy I beleve it is the TEDcostume. They all have te shoes.

  • I agreed with everything except for the part about income distribution. That is completely unrelated to the paradox of choice

  • @NYsalsa101

    Well, I don't think it's unrelated because in modern society the more money you have the more choice you have, but his idea was that too much choice is not necessarily a good thing, and so giving some of that choice to those who have very little choice 'aka income' would not only make the wealthier people happier, but it would increase the well being and happiness of those with less income aka choice. Just my two cents.

  • @bagofrice I agree that there should be less income inequality. Applying income redistribution isn't the only way. We've seen what happens when we redistribute wealth. Not only do the rich get poorer, but the poor also end up poorer. That's the paradox of income redistribution! The paradox of free markets is that when the rich get richer, the poor get richer too. Free markets is a rising tide that raises all ships. America today is not free markets but Crony Capitalism.

  • @NYsalsa101

    Tell that the girl dying form thirst

  • @NYsalsa101 Actually it makes sense especially if you agreed with all the other parts. As a society's affluence increases so does peoples choices. And after a certain point the increase of number of choices increases dissatisfaction. There are two extremes of the spectrum given. The first lets say is the poorest country in the world that has inhabitants with little choice and the richest, any western country like the Unied States, which have too many choices.

  • @adr1anization So if seeing as an affluent society has too much choices you should decrease them. And the only way to do it is by decreasing the affluency.

  • @adr1anization And if your going to do that why not kill to birds with one stone and increase the poor society's affluence while you are at it. This will increase their choices and their satisfaction

  • @NYsalsa101 it makes sense. After articulating his view of this problem and after elaborating on his arguments, he reaches the conclusion that we are infected with the despair of dissatisfaction and high expectation all because of the ample opportunities. Now, that is not a pleasant conclusion-a dreary inference. So, being humane and pursuing the improvement of life, as every self-respecting person should do, he suggest a way to deal with this malady.

  • @NYsalsa101 Saying that u agree with everything and then stating that his proposal is irrelevant, while speaking of a paradox,as well, you, ironically, contradict yourself.

  • @NYsalsa101 Income distribution is related to the paradox of choice. When government takes a away a portion of your income to redistribute it takes away your choice as to what to do with that money.

  • What if the fishbowl is floating on the ocean?

  • @uglychimp71 what if the snowglobe is in the snowstorm? :P

  • @RETSZTIRF Well I think the little people inside would be unhappy about not being able to play with all the different snowflakes outside.

  • I'm annoyed that I cannot go into Carl's Junior and order a burger, so I don't go of my own volition. Even though it is the most convenient of the places around me. The burger I want isn't even on the menu, and it has a strange name that I can't quite remember between trips.

  • i didn't know jeans came in flavors

  • How do I choose which video to play next?!

  • @MailACoconut Ahahahaha.

  • @ponkasss

    "More is less" I think it is called.

  • One word: Amazing

  • I'm looking for another Ted Talk about choice, where they show graphs of studies on people that got to choose things from different advertisements and stuff. It was also about how more choice made people less content. Does anyone know where I can find it?

  • FAKE!!!!

  • Simple, brilliant, and true. Well done.

  • I think I figured out why the world hates Jewish people - its because you guys make the rest of us feel so stupid :)

  • Mind. Blown.

  • his choice of socks is awful ..

  • okok...this is nothing new...Decision taking is time consuming above all..this have been studied in microeconomics for decades...

  • pure genius

    

  • freedom cannot exist without boundaries.

  • now I know a BMW is the only choice I need

  • 12:04 is right on

  • Except the fish doesn't belong in a fishbowl, but rather in a river, lake or ocean. Is it still better off in the bowl?

  • This is some Commercialist propaganda. I think I was just brainwashed ;/

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  • @egodust11 wow, you are a genius. congratulations.

  • It's like Sebastien's restaurant menu in Hell's Kitchen.

  • Why online dating can be perilous... ;)

    

  • Actually, I think people in the world of marketing do know this. Because if you have a zillion choices, and your choice isn't perfect, you will buy more and more!

  • TLDR; No choice will leave you wanting, but make you more efficient in the long run, more choices dull the innovation but please the mind.

  • This talk didn't address the fact that many of the choices out there are not real choices, unfortunately most salad dressing have artificial preservatives, dyes, GMOs or MSG and are equally as bad as any other one. The problem is not having a variety of Good choices, but too many bad choices. It is corporatism and marketing with lies which is the problem - its not the choice its the options. How can one not feel fucked over knowing they're being fooled and lied to because of corp. greed?

  • I don't understand the fishbowl part. What does that mean?

  • @teoh89 Think of the fishbowl as a metaphorical boundary. It represents that magical level of not to much choice and not too little. Then the water level can represent happiness and the fish inside can represent people swimming in their happiness. When you shatter the fishbowl, you take away the limits on choice and the happiness disappears.

    At least, that's how I understand it.

  • @Ghost00117 So wouldent the fish be happyer in the ocean...

  • @fbibarbie I don't know. Would the fish be "happyer" in the ocean?

  • @Ghost00117 You don't think it would?

  • @fbibarbie Oh. I guess you didn't notice the spelling mistake. I thought the quotations in my last comment would have alerted you to it. Anyways, I think a fishbowl is safer. Your amount of choice would be far more limited but you would be more happy with the choices you make. At least, I think I would be.

  • @Ghost00117 I saw it im just not a spelling nazi and I guess you live in a cage or jail cell then. Why are you so scared of making choices you are clearly able to make then.

  • @fbibarbie No. I don't live in a "cage" or "jail cell". For ME, living MY life with boundaries gives me a safe state of mind. I'm sorry if that offends you.

    Also, spelling Nazi? Really? You misspelled the word "happier". That's like Grade 2 material. If it was the word "phenolphthalein" or something, then I could understand. That's a hard word to spell.

  • @Ghost00117 Thats fine if you want to do that but don't make everyone else live with boundaries just because you like it.

  • @fbibarbie Honestly, did you read my post? Or did you have an issue with comprehension? Because at no point did I imply that I wish to imply my boundaries or boundaries in general on others. I actually did the opposite. See the "ME" and "MY"? I'm talking about myself. Not "us" or "we".

  • @Ghost00117 Ok calm down then my bad lol. Only problem with this guys video is he is useing the paradox of choice as a excuse for income distrbution I asumed you agreed with that video and thought that was a good idea too.

  • @teoh89 One would think the fishbowl limits possibility for the fish. However, the fishbowl is imperative to the fish's survival, if the fishbowl is broken to give the fish metaphorical freedom, access to change and a better life, the fish will die. The fish is better off living with limits than without.

  • Yes, Life without boundaries can lead to a allot of problems. In addition to the self esteem aspects of being uncertain of making the "Best" choice. There is the problem of those that make really bad choices just because they can or lack wisdom.

  • This is one of Dostoyevskys theses in the brothers karamazov

  • I'm 15 year old teenager who likes games, action, movies,and sensually-sexual stuff, is it weird to like these kind of things? :D

  • @ArtOfRape

    u are being sarcastic right?!

  • @mcweaky No, I'm not. I'm an average guy who happens to have a liking towards physics and stuff :P

  • @ArtOfRape

    owh i tought you ment if it is weird to like games, actionmovies etc. Also it isn't weird to like this shit. but I am a little consurned about your name...

  • @mcweaky well, actually my youtube name is the name I use when playing games, it not "rape" as in sexually harassing someone, but the kind of "I totally owned you" rape. I guess rape is the used term coz they have 1 common thing 'the opposing party can't do anything in the process' :P

  • @ArtOfRape

    okey :D

  • @ArtOfRape That's pretty disgusting.

  • Thank you Barry

    

  • I made a song using samples from this lecture, go to soundcloud and paste in what's below. Thumbs up if you heard and enjoyed it :) 'euancaiatkinson - Paradox Of Choice - Feat Barry Schwartz'

  • EXISTENTIAL ANGST FOR THE CRISIS

  • Hard determinism (my philosophical view) isn't ---as--- depressing to me now. :P

    And his point on low expectations is absolutely true. Is anyone else a gamer? Well, games are so disappointing nowadays because be build up so much hype for them.

  • " Did you ever have to finally decide? Say yes to one and let the other one ride There's so many changes, and tears you must hide Did you ever have to finally decide ? "

    ~ Lovin' Spoonful

  • what an idiot

  • @halyn1986 Agreed. Hes speaking of people as if theyre sheep.

  • There's one great idea in between the lines - we should regret less about what is done and about what hasn't been done yet.

  • Some whore mistitled this video. He's saying too much or too little choice is bad. There is no damn paradox!

  • Moderation my friends and know yourself. it probably wont lead to a successful lifestyle, but hopefully well lead a satisfying one

  • Brilliant! 

  • a humanidade orgulh-se de ser mais inteligente que qualquer outro animal na terra, inteligencia é uma arma, um poder, e como dizia peter parker e com muita razão "com grande poder vêm grandes responsabilidades". Se as pessoas não tomarem como suas essas responsabilidades alguem tomará por eles e nesse caso ninguem terá outros a quem culpar spelos seus problemas. Isso chama-se ditadura

  • Well, freedom is known for it's inability to apply to people who are not capable of thinking for themselves and taking responsibility for themselves. I'd say that the problem lies within, and "too much choices" sounds... well I can only think of the "Are you serious face" to describe this.

  • He almost comes across as a cranky old man saying that things were better back in the day. I was ready for him to start yelling "You kids get off my lawn!"

  • He does make a lot of good points, and many of them are actually true. Also raises a good question on if giving lots of options is necessarily better. More options allows best optimization ideally, but will that practically come to fruition, or can an optimal choice range be mathematically mapped out?This can be countered if choices aren't the problem, but the lack of good methodology in choosing. Or it could be both. I'd like some empirical studies on this. If so, education can go a long way.

  • I love the "fish bowl" concept. But for it to be effective in permitting freedom, it needs to be a self-imposed fish bowl, not a society-imposed fish bowl. In essence, you must choose your own fish bowl to simplify the choices you make. And we do this all the time. If there are 100 salad dressings on the shelf at the store, I may see them all, but in reality I am making a choice b/t the many varieties of Ranch dressing (my favorite). So, I have imposed a "Ranch-only" fish bowl.

  • 10:38 this is so true. 

  • Typical left wing bullshit asshole, this guy is nothing but crap and a marxist riding the waves of success of capitalism then complaining about having too much choice look if you dont want to think or even breathe without thinking go vote for that village idiot from eythiopia and btw happiness is a load of crap its like saying how postive you feel what really matters is a standard of living health and life expectancy go fuck my tea bag

  • Having more choices does NOT necessarily translate into more freedom but rather more competing interests trying to CONTROL YOU and limit your freedom. In many cases they are FALSE CHOICES if marketers manufacture your consent for industries. You have been convinced that your soap is not good enough and that you need face, body, hand, hair, and foot soap.

  • the problem's internal, it's not the amount of choices we have but our ability to make them. in my opinion

  • i think finally people are taking responsibility for their own decisions

  • options = limits

    freedom = chosing w/e you want not chosing something they offer you

  • Everyone who has said something negative is an idiot. All he is trying to say is that with fewer choices, i makes our lives easier and less stressful. I agree with him. He isn't trying to say that he doens't want to be a grown up or that our lives would be perfect. And besides if ou didn't like this video, why watch it in the first place?

  • i hope this didn't have a choice in clothing, because there is no excuse for that outfit.

  • Some people are hating on this but I believe everything he said is true. I mean, he isn't saying we need to be controlled all the time, just less choices. Its like finding the happy medium. Hell, I spent twenty minutes in CVS just trying to decide which damn toothbrush to buy. I enjoy having some choices so i don't have one setting: shit, but I don't need to decide from thirty three different toothbrushes at different prices from different brands that all essentially do the same exact thing.

  • His mouth is making gross noises with his spit, hard to listen to :|

  • Reminds me of George Costanza

  • He's trying to correlate high expectations with depression/suicide without any correlation coefficient to prove it. It's just wild speculation anyone could come up with. There's no science behind this. Speculation and psychological self projection about what makes him depressed. I'd love to see the math equation, he doesn't have, which proves this.

  • @faurkbeans its psychology u dumb beaver... math equation hahahahahahhahahahahahahahahah­ahahahahahahahahahahahahhahaha­hahahaha

  • @kamikaze11221 He said increased choice is a contributing factor to suicide and depression. If you don't think you need science and math to prove that you're an idiot. Go to a philosophy class and stay out of science.

  • What a load of shit, mixed with quasi scientific nonsense. He's relatively smart so it sounds good but apart from that there's little to no merit. Compromise is a part of life and certain people wish to believe everything always works out like a Disney movie. They're in for a rude awakening if they think everything in their life is going to work out perfectly. It has nothing to do with the fact we have so many choices. Even if you do everything 'right' things may not work out. A fact of life.

  • You wanna know why doctors cant recommend treatments? Because people in western society sue over the drop of a hat....

    Im not fond of this speech, Im sure hes a good man but If we cannot make decisions on our own then we neglect being freaking adults. I want more choice. Not less.

    As for us being unsatisfied with our choices, Well its the grass is always greener effect, I think it affects us all.

    I dunno, this sounds almost facist, reducing choice...

    Im sure thats not what he meant tho lol

  • I somehow think he is confusing 'choice' as an Economic concept ( in the USA ) and draws lay 'Psychological' conclusions. Pity as his own methodology clearly throws up some promising & important findings, such as the raising of expectations. The example about the Employers' Pension Scheme is almost laughable. Did it occur to him employers did not give much info on the various plans so they are not taken up?More understandable tried & tested info would have been the answer to increase take up!

  • changed my life

  • What a crock of shit. The essence of this guy's argument is this: "With choice comes responsibility, and responsibility's just too damn hard. Can't someone else make up my mind for me so I don't have to be bothered?"

    Not being bothered to engage one's life is effectively a living death, and I will NOT be a zombie.

  • he's only arguing the less choices the better because of the regret we feel after picking a choice when there were too many, even if the choice was the right choice.

  • Wow this was a scary TEDtalk... it's like 1984! Ok, blame others because it'll make you feel good. Take choice away so people don't have to think so much.

    It is very very scary to think that this person is saying this and people are actually listening.

    Is this the problem of modern affluent societies? Or is it that our society and educational system do not teach rational critical thinking, and have also conditioned us to be so damn competitive that we always have to second guess our choices?

  • Psychologist Paul Krugman, wha?

  • OK, We choose to ban you from the stage and speaking ever again. There are so many choices for people to listen to.... Less choices the better and all.

  • Hey dumb-shit, take your jeans back and get another pair. Write/call the salad dressing manufacture and tell them their dressing sucks… Chances are you’ll get free coupons… Things are guaranteed / returnable, etc… This guy is fucking sick in the head.

  • Wow, this guy is scary and has got to go buh-bye... He is actually arguing less choices the better? Who/Whom would regulate these choices if not the free market? Scary, scary indeed. At least if I know that I made a bad choice there are other options next time. Or I “return” the bad choice and try to choose again.

  • Forget the politicians. The politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice . . . you don’t. You have no choice. You have owners. They own you. They own everything. They own all the important land. They own, and control the corporations. - George Carlin

  • The prophet speaks.

  • /watch?v=zLO94iqCxz4

  • Wow, great talk!

  • it's now a proven fact that if you wear glasses like that then you're brilliant.

  • 1:42 Hi reddit!

  • A little disapointed he didn't talk about 'hard Determinism'

  • Not occur to anyone to question it? Um, excuse me, juvenile comment coming up, but hello? What rock are you living under? I can't spend a single day within the sphere of politics without having the idea of limiting choice presented as something approaching a new gospel. At least in this - western - country there sure as hell isn't any shortage of strong support for simplifying people's lives by liberating them from all choices save the one favored by the state.

  • Does anyone else feel that almost everything this guy says is wrong?

  • @bandpractice Your not the only one.

  • @bandpractice same here... I would rather have choices than letting bureaucrats choose for me

  • Yes, it wold be great if life were a bit simpler.

    But if they way to do this is by letting public officials to limit our choices, or to choose for us - that is much worse.

    It hasn't worked out for any society in the past, and there is no reason to believe it will.

  • I don't believe that its more choice that paralyzes us but in fact that people must become more apt at choosing. We must dilligently understand that people should be brought to task when asked a question within their field of expertise but must remain alert to those with ulterior motives to your choosing. The bigwigs of tomorrow will indeed rail on helping you make your choices by stressing that your life will have more "ease" but in fact gain them more power.

  • @hexusziggurat "from earlier" as "Sir Ken Robinson:do schools kill creativity" points out & i have advocated myself for the past 20 years. You cannot be afraid to make mistakes....mistakes are not to be considered "failings" but instead stepping stones to succeeding. It is not that one should consider making a "choice simply for the sake of exercising your power" but instead learning from "choice-making" as a process that is "being mastered" with each step.

  • @hexusziggurat "art 3 from continued" We continue to berate our personal choices with a concept of "fail" if it doesn't meet with complete & utter satisfaction...as if another choice would've garnered more fruitful results. Some choices will simply not net complete satisfaction & even if there were a better choice that you could've made or somebody else had made...we should neither compare our own choice nor examine what we did do as "failure in some fashion...even in part".

  • Most of life is suffering. Suffering seeks salvation. This is how marketing works. Offering more options for salvation only increases suffering. This talk is deeply spiritual. The old " This world is an illusion" thing.

  • I absolutely agree with him. I have come to many of these conclusions myself.

  • He looks like my dad about to go do yard work...... -____-

  • He doesn't sound like an intellectual as much as a bitter old man that isn't pleased with the changes that are happening within society. Such weak arguments that assume that people also don't choose how they feel about things. Even if you follow, you choose to do so.

  • I personally don't like the consequences of the points of his argument. Namely that in some way, shape or form, less freedom might be a good thing.

  • Ignorance is bliss?

  • shorts?? bad choice