Monday, May 4, 2015

What'll You Have? The Paradox of Choice

It has been debated, as of late, if Barry Schwartz's Paradox of Choice theory is actually a myth, rather than a renowned decision-making and behavior theory. So the theory goes, Americans are more lonely and depressed than ever, because we have too many options to choose between and care too much about what everybody else has and what we don't have.
As I've mentioned before, most of my regulars are consistent, consuming the same food and beverages, come hell or high water. However, these "regulars," I speak of know who they are, The youngest among them are in their thirties. They've experimented, chosen poorly, and finally settled on what they know they like.

The patrons I meet that seem confounded by the Paradox of Choice are young and dumb. And I wouldn't attribute this just to the fact that they haven't been "around the block." If someone aged 21-28 walks into the Crystal and seems unsure, I can confidently say that I can choose better for them with just a few questions than they can choose for themselves, based on what I know we offer and my established perceptions and experiences. Perhaps this can be linked with a younger generation being more susceptible to FOMO, pressure from peers and society, and a greater concern for how one is perceived, both in person and digitally. I'm not sure I'm proud to be a Millennial.

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