When More Choice Feels Worse

In a well-known experiment published in 2000, researchers set up a table in a California food store where shoppers could taste jam. Sometimes the table offered twenty-four flavors; at other times, only six. The big table attracted more people. The surprise came later, at the checkout.

Shoppers who saw only six jams were far more likely to buy a jar than those who saw twenty-four. The researchers suggested that too many options can be tiring. When every choice looks almost the same, people worry about picking the wrong one, and sometimes they decide not to pick at all.

The study became famous, and the idea of 'choice overload' spread into books and business talks. But when other scientists repeated similar experiments, the results were mixed. Sometimes too much choice did push people away; often it made no difference at all. A large review of many studies found the effect was, on average, close to zero.

Many researchers now think the number of options matters less than the situation. Too many options seem to hurt most when people are unsure what they want, when choices are hard to compare, or when they are in a hurry. If you already know you love strawberry, a shelf of fifty jams is not a problem.