Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
The Paradox of Choice
- Why More is Less
- Narrated by: Ken Kliban
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
99p for the first 3 months
The Paradox of Choice
Buy Now for £16.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
Summary
In the spirit of Alvin Tofflers' Future Shock, a social critique of our obsession with choice, and how it contributes to anxiety, dissatisfaction and regret.
Whether were buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long-distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a 401(k), everyday decisions - both big and small - have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented.
We assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But beware of excessive choice: choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision-making paralysis, anxiety, and perpetual stress. And, in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression. In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains at what point choice - the hallmark of individual freedom and self-determination that we so cherish - becomes detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz shows how the dramatic explosion in choice--from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs--has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution. Schwartz also shows how our obsession with choice encourages us to seek that which makes us feel worse.
What listeners say about The Paradox of Choice
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Allan Paterson
- 06-10-20
Choice need not be good
I knew this but it was nice to remember overabundance can be a burden and it is better to have a strategy for it. Thankfully I am a "satisficer" and an optimist, which appears to be good news for my mental health.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Valentin Ursu
- 02-08-20
The reading is an abomination
The reader is incredibly bad, it made me think constantly how good it would be to be able to choose between multiple narrators while listening to a book about how bad multiple choices are.
The way he raises his tone at the end of almost every sentence is bad enough but the fact that he does not respect punctuation marks, that he does not respect commas where the author put them but ads his own, most likely due to cuts because he was too incompetent to get the sentence from start to finish, makes it almost impossible to listen.
on this audiobook, we need choice, we need a competent narrator to redo this book, and when everyone chooses the other narrator over this one, it will prove how bad this one is. The book proves while too many choices is bad, the audiobook proves why only one choice is bad.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story1 out of 5 stars
- Ellie Rose
- 26-12-22
Nothing new
I only managed about an hour, and had to give up. There was nothing new about his statements and observations, in fact I could have come up with 90% of the context myself after a few hours of thought, and I’m no expert in the field. Very disappointing,
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- E. Clark
- 15-07-20
Great book on choice and decision making
I enjoyed listening this book a lot. It explains why and how having so many choices in modern world makes us overwhelmed. Psychological and social impacts of this. Based on research, very clear arguments. Also gives useful advice how to make efficient choices and make life less complicated more satisfactory. Well written, well performed.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- James Reid
- 13-01-19
Very insightful.
A very interesting perspective on what makes us think and act the way we do.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dr. Stephen Gulliver
- 20-07-23
Great book
This is a great book looking primarily at the distinction between satisfiers and maximisers. Although some examples and literature is dated this is a well written introduction to the paradox of choice.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Aaron D. Alexander
- 09-10-21
Life Changing If Applied
Absolute words of wisdom which can benefit everyone in life even if to serve as a reminder from time to time.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- A_Del
- 12-03-21
Delightful though in need of an update
I had great expectations which were mostly met. What stood out to me in the examples and the vocabulary is that the majority of the content was written in the late 90s, maybe early 2000s and some even earlier. And sooooooo much has happened since then to shape the culture of crushing choice. The collocation “social media” is not present in this work and I would have loved a few additional chapters to reflect on its dramatic effect on choice. Overall I very much enjoyed the book and I’m looking forward to relistening an updated version that touches on the numerous controversies of our brave new world. Who would have thought that the world could and would be what it is today back in the golden days of 2004?
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Thomas Brown
- 02-07-20
Great content - average narrator
I was very excited to listen to this book, everyone raves about it. But the narrator wasn't the right choice for me, he communicated the information in a very dream like and un-natural fashion and it caused me to struggle with the credibility of the information.
Persisting through that though, I found more value in the content towards the back end of the book, especially with the humanistic and lifestyle choices revolving around relationships. I'd love to hear a UK based study of this concept rather than just an American one as well.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Chris
- 04-05-23
Great Book
This is a fantastic and well researched book that can be a little repetitive, but the last two chapters pull it all together. Well worth a listen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!