Choice overload, the cause of psychological distress

We generally assume that a broad range of options gives us a plethora of choices, and consequently, leads to a greater satisfaction.

Within the previous statement is nested a disturbing paradox. The multiplicity of choices often confounds us rather than liberates us. 

When confronted with the multitude of brands on shopping sites, the endless choices of career paths, or the sheer number of potential partners on dating apps, the human gets overwhelmed and experiences mental exhaustion. 

What should have being a delightful moment of leisurely selection becomes an exhausting series of calculation of benefits and potential regrets. 

The volume of choices presented to us, turns a simple decision into an anxiety-inducing nightmare.

Each choice carries the potential for remorse and disappointment.

This triggers a cascade of stress responses, sometimes in a chronic acute form, as we struggle to process a volume of information we, as humans, were never designed to handle.

In the choppy sea of choices, we have racing thoughts, experience elevated heart rates, and in some extreme cases, we either freeze or manifest an urgent need to extricate ourselves from the situation. 

Students agonize over college majors, adults delay marriage and parenthood, and employees spend a lifetime in a dead-end careers.

This affects all areas of our life, from a trivial consumer decisions to life-defining ones.

The difficulty of choice is compounded by the crushing responsibility of accountability.

Extended and continued exposure to unreasonable amounts of choices contributes to depression, as people tend to blame themselves for their poor choices rather than recognizing the fact that there are no perfect decisions or faultless choices. 

The constant comparison between chosen and unchosen paths, creates a burdening sense of regret that keeps people from enjoying their choices, because they keep thinking about hypothetical alternatives. 

The most insidious effect is the mental exhaustion caused by the decision-making process.

When every imaginable option seems available, people expect perfection and are unable to come to terms with the inevitable compromises imposed by life itself. 

We became an increasingly dissatisfied species, anxious and depressed generation, plagued by the freedom of choice they were aggressively seeking.