One of the topics that we discuss in this course that resonated with me is the idea that individuals frequently go through a choice overload. A choice overload occurs when too many choices are present in the decision-making process. I feel that this idea really got me thinking because I feel that I frequently cannot make up my mind when I am presented with a multitude of choices! Although I do feel that I am slowly improving on my decision making skills, I believe that this is a major issue amongst individuals everywhere. For instance, an individual is presented with a wide variety of food choices to pick from for dinner but each option is just as appealing as the next. This individual must make a decision on which entree they would prefer the most in a relatively timely manner. If this individual does not make a decision, they risk not eating dinner. On the other hand, If they end up not liking the entree that they chose then they still risk not eating dinner. That being said, decision making has many factors that go into an individual’s final choice and their choices are not always the best option.
This concept also brings me to the topic of regret. An individual may feel regret when they reflect on rejected opportunities. In reference to my previous example, the individual who had to make a decision on which dinner to eat may later reflect on the other choices they had and in turn regretting their final choice. However, I believe that regret is a silly concept because how can one regret doing something that they at one point had a desire to do? Overall, I feel that these concepts really got me to think about all of the different choices we as human beings have to make on a daily basis. One final example that I would like to note is that in the book “Endurance”, Shackleton had to make numerous decisions on his journey across Antarctica from deciding on where to camp, whether or not to keep their dogs, or even whether or not to take a certain path. Shackleton is a wonderful example of the tough choices that we must make on a daily basis and he demonstrates how hard it can be to make those decisions.
https://www.psafinancial.com/2017/05/shackletons-leadership-lessons-bottom-world/
Hi Nikki, great post!
ReplyDeleteThe overabundance of choices is a real problem for some people, me (and my wife) included. Even though it sounds like not such a serious thing, sometimes it can be. The most glaring example for me, is when it comes to choosing a film to watch on one of the streaming services. The abundance of choice is almost crippling! Sometimes I will spend like 30+ minutes just scrolling through, and then finally I will just abandon watching anything as I get frustrated and annoyed. I am not a very decisive person, and it shows!
Hi Nikki, I enjoyed reading your post!
ReplyDeleteI specifically enjoyed reading your paragraph on the topic of regret. I can speak for myself, I have experienced many situations where I was left with regret and would often catch myself reflecting back. Regret can sometimes take a toll on some peoples lives and keep them from moving forward.
Hi Nikki,
ReplyDeleteI agree that choice overload is a great topic we covered in class. It’s a cognitive impairment in which people have a difficult time making a decision when faced with many options. For people, it’s difficult to make choices when multiple options are available. When I rarely have to choose to go out and eat at a restaurant, I have the difficulty of choosing what restaurant I should go to, whether it be Olive Garden, Apple Bee’s, Chili’s or a buffet. When I chose to go to the buffet, I find myself overloaded with numerous choices the buffet offers for food. Should I eat chicken or turkey; which one is healthier? When I finally decide, I move down the line to find what looks like a delicious smoked turkey. When I finish my dinner I go for dessert and I find myself in another predicament as the dessert options available are vast: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream. If there were fewer choices offered at buffets, people would not have such a hard time choosing, and if food varieties were divided into smaller quantities choosing would be much easier. As for regret, I usually avoid this by sticking with choices that I have already made before, that way I know I’m comfortable with them and won’t look back wishing I had decided on something else. Rarely do I ever make a decision to try something new, and if I do end up regretting it then it just makes it even harder later to decide whether I want to give something new a chance or not, feeding into choice overload even more. Overall, choice overload is a very interesting topic that affects us all everyday in many aspects of our lives.