With summer on the way, cold, creamy concoctions may become very appealing. So, you might decide to go out for an ice cream. You’d think that the more choices of ice cream flavors and toppings offered, the happier and you would be. Americans love choices, after all. But you may be surprised — more is not always better.
Researchers from Columbia University and Stanford University were the first to provide empirical evidence on whether people were more likely to make a purchase when there were fewer choices. At an upscale market, they set up a table displaying either six or 24 kinds of jam. With six jams, 40 percent of passers-by stopped at the table. The table with 24, on the other hand, stopped 60 percent of passers-by. Greater selection seemed to increase interest. Yet 30 percent of passers-by at the table with six jams made a purchase, while only 3 percent of passers-by made a purchase from the display with 24 jams.
More choices may lead to dissatisfaction. As American psychologist Barry Schwartz said in his book “The Paradox of Choice,” that with more choices, there are more choices to regret. People may wonder if another option would have been better. With fewer options, people appear to have lower anxiety levels.
On the other hand, let’s consider Mochi and other frozen yogurt shops that offer limitless customization. Here, you can fill large bowls with any combination of 15-plus flavors and add 50-plus different kinds of toppings (brownies, mochi, even Froot Loops). Both the size of the bowl and choices of toppings encourage you to create a one-of-a-kind dessert. The cost is according to the weight of the bowl, so more choices seem better for Mochi.
So, fewer selection or more choices? Perhaps with jam, the decision has more weight, because you’re committed to having it for a while. A bowl of yogurt has fewer consequences, so more choices don’t necessarily provoke anxiety. Try both methods, if you can, see how it goes and find out which works better for you.
[A version of this story ran on page 9 on 3/19/2015 under the headline “Choices: less is usually more”]
