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The Paradox Of Choice is about part of this (how people want choices but become paralysed by too many) It’s one of my favourite TED talks ever. Highly recommen

The Paradox Of Choice is about part of this (how people want choices but become paralysed by too many) It’s one of my favourite TED talks ever. Highly recommend: https://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_the_paradox_of_choice?language=en https://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_the_paradox_of_choi... It’s also a book which I’m sure you can find on your own if you like the talk.

allenu 7y ago
It's one of my favorite talks and books as well. It really opened up my eyes to how I am often trying to maximize in a lot of ways in my life and that it was making me miserable. Now I try to limit places where I expend that mental energy and make sure it's worth it, and be okay with just "satisficing" where it really won't make a big difference.
- jonplackett 7y ago
  If you like that did you also watch the one based on the book ‘Stumbling Upon Happiness’ https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_the_surprising_science_of_happiness/up-next https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_the_surprising_science... It seems to me almost like a scientific proof of Buddhism. This also made me really think about why I was perusing certain goals or not. The basic premise is that humans think they’re really good at predicting what will make them happy, when in reality we totally suck at it and make lots of deliberate choices that are bound to make us unhappy.
  - allenu 7y ago
    Yes! I watched that video as well around the same time and read the book. (Admittedly I was in a "positive psychology" kick at the time and was consuming anything about happiness.) I like your summary. An even more general way to look at is that we have less control over our minds (and moods) than we expect, so don't stress about it. :)
    - yboris 7y ago
      I too read many books on Positive Psychology and can highly recommend for you an attempt to unify the field into a cohesive whole: The Good Life: Unifying the Philosophy and Psychology of Well-Being by Michael Bishop https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YD26TIS/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YD26TIS/ref=dbs_a_def_r... The author points out how the current field is fragmented with no underlying theory, and he provides one by reconciling the demands of psychologists and philosophers who have thought and written about this topic.
philwelch 7y ago
I wonder if this is part of how competitive environments get whittled down to small numbers of limited choices. iPhone vs. Android, Boeing vs. Airbus, Windows vs. Mac, Intel vs. AMD, Republican vs. Democrat—is this the level of choice we’re actually capable of sustainably handling?

allenu 7y ago

It's one of my favorite talks and books as well. It really opened up my eyes to how I am often trying to maximize in a lot of ways in my life and that it was making me miserable. Now I try to limit places where I expend that mental energy and make sure it's worth it, and be okay with just "satisficing" where it really won't make a big difference.

jonplackett 7y ago
If you like that did you also watch the one based on the book ‘Stumbling Upon Happiness’ https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_the_surprising_science_of_happiness/up-next https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_the_surprising_science... It seems to me almost like a scientific proof of Buddhism. This also made me really think about why I was perusing certain goals or not. The basic premise is that humans think they’re really good at predicting what will make them happy, when in reality we totally suck at it and make lots of deliberate choices that are bound to make us unhappy.
- allenu 7y ago
  Yes! I watched that video as well around the same time and read the book. (Admittedly I was in a "positive psychology" kick at the time and was consuming anything about happiness.) I like your summary. An even more general way to look at is that we have less control over our minds (and moods) than we expect, so don't stress about it. :)
  - yboris 7y ago
    I too read many books on Positive Psychology and can highly recommend for you an attempt to unify the field into a cohesive whole: The Good Life: Unifying the Philosophy and Psychology of Well-Being by Michael Bishop https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YD26TIS/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YD26TIS/ref=dbs_a_def_r... The author points out how the current field is fragmented with no underlying theory, and he provides one by reconciling the demands of psychologists and philosophers who have thought and written about this topic.

philwelch 7y ago

I wonder if this is part of how competitive environments get whittled down to small numbers of limited choices. iPhone vs. Android, Boeing vs. Airbus, Windows vs. Mac, Intel vs. AMD, Republican vs. Democrat—is this the level of choice we’re actually capable of sustainably handling?