On The Paradox of Choice_英语万花筒
24en editor's note:psychologist barry schwartz studies freedom of choice -- and has made some surprising findings. a wealth of choices, he has found, can make us not happier but more dissatisfied, not free but paralyzed.
barry schwatz提出了一个极大化者(maximiser)与满足者(satisfier)的对比。极大化者是一个在做任何选择时都尽可能的追求完美的人,而满足者是一个在眼前可能的选择中轻松挑选一个而感到满足的人。按照经济学里的假设,唯有极大化者才有可能获得最大的效用与最大的幸福,因为他是一个理性的人。然而,事实上,根据 barry schwatz 的研究,结果是相反的。
barry schwatz 的证据是一个针对某所大学里应届毕业生到工作后的满意程度的研究。第一组是极大化者,他们在校成绩优秀,找工作也很努力。第二组学生是满足者,就是一群比较随遇而安的人。确实,极大化者找到的第一个工作的平均薪水要比满足者高出25%。然而,若是另外用调查他们的主观感受,极大化者比起满足者更容易感觉到悲观,沮丧,绝望,不快乐等等情绪。
about barry schwatz
in his 2004 book the paradox of choice , barry schwartz tackles one of the great mysteries of modern life: why is it that societies of great abundance — where individuals are offered more freedom and choice (personal, professional, material) than ever before — are now witnessing a near-epidemic of depression? conventional wisdom tells us that greater choice is for the greater good, but schwartz argues the opposite: he makes a compelling case that the abundance of choice in today's western world is actually making us miserable.
infinite choice is paralyzing, schwartz argues, and exhausting to the human psyche. it leads us to set unreasonably high expectations, question our choices before we even make them and blame our failures entirely on ourselves. his relatable examples, from consumer products (jeans, tvs, salad dressings) to lifestyle choices (where to live, what job to take, who and when to marry), underscore this central point: too much choice undermines happiness.
barry schwatz提出了一个极大化者(maximiser)与满足者(satisfier)的对比。极大化者是一个在做任何选择时都尽可能的追求完美的人,而满足者是一个在眼前可能的选择中轻松挑选一个而感到满足的人。按照经济学里的假设,唯有极大化者才有可能获得最大的效用与最大的幸福,因为他是一个理性的人。然而,事实上,根据 barry schwatz 的研究,结果是相反的。
barry schwatz 的证据是一个针对某所大学里应届毕业生到工作后的满意程度的研究。第一组是极大化者,他们在校成绩优秀,找工作也很努力。第二组学生是满足者,就是一群比较随遇而安的人。确实,极大化者找到的第一个工作的平均薪水要比满足者高出25%。然而,若是另外用调查他们的主观感受,极大化者比起满足者更容易感觉到悲观,沮丧,绝望,不快乐等等情绪。
about barry schwatz
in his 2004 book the paradox of choice , barry schwartz tackles one of the great mysteries of modern life: why is it that societies of great abundance — where individuals are offered more freedom and choice (personal, professional, material) than ever before — are now witnessing a near-epidemic of depression? conventional wisdom tells us that greater choice is for the greater good, but schwartz argues the opposite: he makes a compelling case that the abundance of choice in today's western world is actually making us miserable.
infinite choice is paralyzing, schwartz argues, and exhausting to the human psyche. it leads us to set unreasonably high expectations, question our choices before we even make them and blame our failures entirely on ourselves. his relatable examples, from consumer products (jeans, tvs, salad dressings) to lifestyle choices (where to live, what job to take, who and when to marry), underscore this central point: too much choice undermines happiness.