Acknowledgments
THE IDEAS IN THIS BOOK BEGAN TO DEVELOP WHEN I WAS INVITED by Marty Seligman to contribute an article on “self-determination” to a special issue of the journal American Psychologist. It seemed obvious and undeniable that people prized and valued the opportunity to be self-determining. Yet, all was not right with freedom, autonomy, and self-determination; they did not seem to be unalloyed blessings. This book is my effort to explore and explain this “darker side” of freedom.
My thinking about this topic was clarified and advanced a great deal by an empirical research project (supported in part by funds from the Positive Psychology Network and Swarthmore College) I conducted in collaboration with colleagues Andrew Ward, John Monterosso, Darrin Lehman, Sonja Lyubomirsky, and Katherine White. I am deeply grateful to these colleagues (especially Ward, whose office is next door to mine and who thus must put up with almost daily discussions) for the role they played in the research and for the many illuminating conversations we had in the course of completing the project. Their insights are reflected throughout the book. I have also learned much from collaborators on related empirical projects that are still under way: Dov Cohen, Jane Gillham, Jamin Halberstadt, Tim Kasser, Mary Frances Luce, and Ken Sheldon.
In the course of presenting some of my ideas at meetings and conferences, I have also learned much from conversions with many, especially Jon Haidt, Dacher Keltner, Jonathan Schooler, and Susan Sugarman.
On the book itself, Judy Dogin and Beth Gross read early drafts that were much longer, and much less fun to read, than this one. Thanks to them, the rest of the world’s burden is eased. Rebecca Schwartz, Allison Dworkin, and Ted Dworkin forced me to confront the fact that many of the issues I write about look different to my children’s generation than they do to mine. Though they may not agree with all of the final product, Becca, Allie, and Ted helped to shape it by changing my thinking and writing about several things. My editor at Ecco Press, Julia Serebrinsky, helped show me how to tame the manuscript. She also identified parts of the exposition that weren’t as clear as I thought they were. And Bill Patrick did an extraordinary job of helping me improve both the organization of the book and the writing.
There would have been no book without the help of my agent, Tina Bennett. Aside from doing beautifully the kinds of businesslike things that agents do, Tina worked with me through several drafts of a proposal, in the course of which she helped shape the book into its final form. I am extraordinarily fortunate to have an agent who is at the same time a smart, wise, and sympathetic editor. Only Tina got to see the worst of my ideas.
Finally, I owe special thanks to my best editor, and best friend Myrna Schwartz. Her convictions about the value and importance of the ideas in this book have been unflagging. By being simultaneously my most sympathetic and most demanding reader, Myrna has read insightfully through several drafts of the book, each time pointing out to me serious problems that needed to be fixed, but doing so with such love and enthusiasm that I was able to drag myself back to the keyboard to make another stab. Myrna has played this role on each of my major projects, and what I’ve learned, over more than three decades, is that she’s almost always right. Sometimes, satisficers like me get lucky.
About the Author
BARRY SCHWARTZ is the Dorwin Cartwright Professor of Social Theory and Social Action at Swarthmore College. He is the author of several books, including The Battle for Human Nature: Science, Morality and Modern Life and The Costs of Living: How Market Freedom Erodes the Best Things in Life. His articles have appeared in many national publications, among them the New York Times, USA Today, Scientific American, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. He lives in Philadelphia, PA.
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Praise for The Paradox of Choice
“The Paradox of Choice has a simple yet profoundly life-altering message for all Americans. Schwartz’s eleven practical, simple steps to becoming less choosey will change much in your daily life…. Buy This Book Now!”
—PHILIP G. ZIMBARDO,
author of Shyness: What It Is, What to Do About It
“In this revolutionary and beautifully reasoned book, Barry Schwartz shows that there is vastly too much choice in the modern world. This promiscuous amount of choice renders the consumer helpless and dissatisfied. The Paradox of Choice is a must read for every thoughtful person.”
—MARTIN E. P. SELIGMAN,
author of Learned Optimism and Authentic Happiness
“Today’s world offers us more choices but, ironically, less satisfaction. This provocative and riveting book shows us steps we can take toward a more rewarding life.”
—DAVID G. MYERS,
author of Intuition: Its Powers and Perils
“This book is valuable in two ways. It argues persuasively that most of us would often be better off with fewer options and that many of us try too hard to make the best choices. While making its case, the book also provides an engaging introduction to current psychological research on choice and on well-being.”
—DANIEL KAHNEMAN,
2002 Nobel laureate in economic sciences,
Eugene Higgins Professor of Psychology and Professor of Public Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
“Brilliant…. The case Schwartz makes for a correlation between our emotional state and what he calls the ‘tyranny of choice’ is compelling, the implications disturbing…. An insightful book.”
—Christian Science Monitor
“Schwartz lays out a convincing argument…. [He] is a crisp, engaging writer with an excellent sense of pace.”
—Austin American-Statesman
“Schwartz chronicles well how our choices have expanded, how our demands for perfection have increased and how we suffer as a result—from regret, missed opportunities and feelings of inadequacy…. Schwartz offers helpful suggestions of how we can manage our world of overwhelming choices.”
—St. Petersburg Times
“The Paradox of Choice is genuine and useful. The book is well-reasoned and solidly researched.”
—New York Observer
“Schwartz has clearly put his finger on a national mood.”
—The Christian Century
“An insightful study that winningly argues its subtitle.”
—Philadelphia Inquirer
“Schwartz has plenty of insightful things to say about the perils of everyday life.”
—Booklist
“The Paradox of Choice is this year’s ‘must read’ book.”
—Guardian (London)
“With its clever analysis, buttressed by sage New Yorker cartoons, The Paradox of Choice is persuasive.”
—BusinessWeek
Also by Barry Schwartz
The Battle for Human Nature:
Science, Morality, and Modern Life
The Costs of Living: How Market
Freedom Erodes the Best Things in Life
Psychology of Learning and Behavior
Behaviorism, Science,
and Human Nature
Learning and Memory
Copyright
THE PARADOX OF CHOICE: WHY MORE IS LESS. Copyright © 2004 by Barry Schwartz. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
ePub edition May 2007 ISBN 9780061748998
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