Very Happy Phil

Too many choices can decrease our happiness!

I will give you an example; In one supermarket I noticed there are 69 different types, brands and sizes of toothpaste. A lot of choices! If poor, the choice is easy. There is one cheap supermarket toothpaste. (Alternatively. Make your own.) If you are not poor, you can buy any of them. There are three negative impacts with these choices.

“The first effect is with all these options to choose from, people end up choosing none. They simply pass. Second effect is that if people overcome this indecision and paralysis and choose, they may choose badly. If you have a lot of options to choose from, it’s just not possible to do the difficult evaluation of each of the features that matter. So what you’re likely to do is simplify the task and choose on the basis of what’s easy to evaluate, even if that’s not what’s so important. So first is paralysis, the second is worse decisions. The third thing, which is in some ways the most surprising, is if you overcome paralysis and manage to choose, and you manage to choose well, you’ll be less satisfied with what you’ve chosen if you’ve chosen from a large set than if you’ve chosen from a small one. Even if you make the right choice, you end up thinking about all those other wonderful things you’ve passed up, and that makes your choice less satisfying.”
- Barry Schwartz Ph.D. author, ‘The Paradox of Choice: How More is Less’

Your task this week. Reduce the number of choices you have. I will give you an example; Steve Jobs wears the same clothes everyday!

“We surely have too many stupid choices. About a year or two ago I bought a dozen pairs of cargo pants and identical black t-shirts and now when I wake up in the morning I never think about what to wear.” – Professor Daniel Gilbert, Harvard Professor and author of ‘Stumbling on happiness’

Here are a few of my favourite quotes which inspire me; “A “Maximizer” wants “the best” – the best vacation place, the best restaurant, the best stereo, best job. And in order to find the best, you need to evaluate every possibility, otherwise how do you know it’s the best? And of course the whole point is that with a trillion choices out there, examining every possibility is just not possible. It produces a sort of paralysis of indecision, exhaustion, huge amount of time spent choosing.
Upon making your choice to go to the Bahamas for example, you would immediately forget about all the alternatives or convince yourself that the alternatives really sucked and there really was only one option. But I believe that doesn’t work when there are lots of options to choose from. I mean, in the long run you are sitting on the beach in the Bahamas thinking about how great it would be in the Rockies.”
- Barry Schwartz Ph.D. author, ‘The Paradox of Choice: How More is Less’

“Money gives you choices. Just because you can jump on a plane to the Caribbean tomorrow doesn’t mean you do.” –Freddy Heineken, former president of Heineken

"Ultimately, the most important determinant of happiness is the extent to which people have free choice in how to live their lives."
Professor Ronald Inglehart, Ph.D. University of Michigan

“Happpiness requires an ability to tolerate uncertainty”
– Gordon Livingston MD

“Happiness is a choice. Be aware of the choices you make.”
– Dr Robert Holden PhD

People who are unhappy may have made the wrong choice when it comes to how they spend their time and money. (And how they choose their attitude.) Increasing their happiness knowledge/wisdom is the key. Sharpening the saw.

Reduce your choices. Choose wisely. Choose intuitively.

Have a happy CHOICES week!

Keep positive!
Phil McNally
Author & Positive Psychology Coach

Remember,
“Happy people have happy habits! Choices can decrease happiness.”
– Phil McNally, Positive Psychology Coach

PS For more info on using your intuition read my book or contact me to arrange a coaching session. Money back guarantee if you do not feel happier after a coaching session from me.

“What was really useful was having your 7 tips set out in an order that you can go through. The ones I like I use all the time and find them very very effective.”
-Ashley Pearson, National 10TT and 50TT Champion

PPS Want to buy my book? Visit;
http://www.veryhappyphil.com/

© Phil McNally 2009
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