Choice is a Bad Idea | David Mitchell's Soapbox

[@theinternetexplorer7873]

I like to imagine a world where Daivd really is a tiny man that you find sitting around and once he takes notice of you staring at him begins ranting about the font newspapers use on headlines.

[@AndrewFullerton]

Elf on a Shelf v2, the Revengance

[@justusbeets5130]

Like a jaded Thomas the tank engine Ringo Starr

[@zingzangspillip1]

"I don't want to choose my own surgeon or pretend Jesus." That's a funny line no matter the context.

[@alspence]

To quote Edina Monsoon, "I don't want more choice, I just want nicer things!"

[@boiledelephant]

Barry Schwartz - The Paradox Of Choice is basically this, but fully fleshed out and with sources and research. Very interesting.

[@PlasmaMongoose]

If you have only a few choices and at least one of them is good, then you are likely to be content, but if none of them are any good, then you crave more options.

[@thewalkingwanderer]

I think the problem is that many of our options are good (MUCH better than anything we had to choose from in the old days, but all, obviously, have flaws that become obvious when we decide on any of them) so that makes it hard to choose. If most were crap and one was decent the choice would be obvious and you'd be much less likely to regret it.

[@666ndr]

Holy shoot, Plasma Mongoose...from the Dumbing of Age comments? You're all over the internet!

[@PlasmaMongoose]

I do get around that's for certain.

[@GMovieSeeker]

It all rolls down to good old economics. Choices are not assumed to be intrinsically good; what's good about them is that you have an alternative if you're unhappy with the first choice. As long as you don't assume the alternative is going to be a hell of a lot different than your first choice, you can definitely be more satisfied when you have choice.

[@bramvanduijn8086]

@@GMovieSeeker That assumes you can choose to switch. That is a different type of choice. I cannot choose what play to watch at 14:00 today twice, since that time is passed and I've been disappointed or happy with my choice. When choices are final, then less choices is better, but when choices can be re-done then more choice is better though both are limited by the time spent making the choice. After all, if it is 13:30 and I need 5 hours to thoroughly review all my choices, then I am not really given a choice for my 14:00 show. Even worse, I will first have to choose which of my options I will ignore, which invariably will exclude better options, compounding my suffering.

[@TheSultan03]

One of the best salesmen I've ever worked with once told me that people are happiest when they think they have a choice but they don't.

[@LemonTree9280]

Man I wish David was still doing these during the pandemic

[@ThePhudD]

I love you all. Dave makes my Thursdays complete! Anger is an energy and Dave's an athlete!

[@tomlxyz]

Choice is a good idea to make people tired. Especially good in shops where people just stop questioning their purchases at some point

[@IbrahimO]

this rant reminds me of "The Paradox of Choice - by Barry Schwartz".... great book, read it... look for his talk in TED

[@youremakingprogress144]

The focus on perfection, the idea that nothing else is acceptable, is where we destroy ourselves. If we can't appreciate what is merely good, we'll always find a reason something isn't perfect.

[@rescuerommies]

That was the first thing that came to mind whilst watching this. When I had only 4 channels I was much more likely to find something to watch. Now I flick through endlessly thinking NOPE, NOPE, NOPE.

[@Cocotte123321]

"Self absorbed, first world misery" I have this week's "phrase to slip into an everyday conversation".

[@jessicalee333]

For all the "Libertarians" and whatnot in the comments who feel choice for its own sake is so critically important: David is not saying you should have NO CHOICES. He's much more referring to "analysis paralysis" of the sort described in The Paradox of Choice. It's a well-documented phenomenon. You can find a TED talk all about it, giving the example of a shop that went from something like 57 different types of olive oil to 6 different types of olive oil, and suddenly found themselves selling a lot more olive oil. What David fails to mention here is another term very important to this topic: ego depletion. People _quite literally_ only have so much willpower, problem-solving, and decision-making ability before they begin to feel overwhelmed, stressed, tired, and irritable. Being called upon to make decisions is in fact what causes ego depletion the quickest. Stress shortens your life giving you less time to live, and makes that time you have left less enjoyable for you because you'll spend it feeling stressed out. Being tired makes you less able to spend the time you have left on productive and enriching actions by wasting it on recovery. Being irritable makes the time you have left less enjoyable for others to spend with you. Furthermore, once someone is suffering a "depleted ego" for the day, all other decisions they make before getting a rest will be made impulsively with less forethought and more base instinct - the kind of decisions people later regret - thus robbing them of the careful consideration that is allegedly so valuable. Do you REALLY want to waste that finite pool of what makes what you think is "you" you, deciding - because your choice is so beknightedly important to you - every last detail with critical research of every last thing you might choose to buy or participate in, no matter how trivial, only to deplete your ability to make those decisions you value, perhaps at the moment some truly important decision comes upon you, something you really would love to consider carefully (having sapped your ability to carefully consider anything else that day by carefully considering everything else that day), and be forced to at least occasionally make truly important decisions rashly only to regret your ill-conceived choices later? Do you think that will make your life happier, longer, or more fulfilled? Science seems to disagree. But at least you spent those seventy-three hours looking through the library of 150,000 clip art files for the perfect image for that one company to print on your socks (no, not _that_ company, not after all the reviews you read, the _other_ company). Time well spent. They're much better than other pairs of socks... or are they? Better have another look through the library. See you in a week.

[@GreenEyedDazzler]

Jessica Lee Okay so you took this way too seriously and personally it seems

[@HellecticMojo]

@@GreenEyedDazzler it's important to call out libertarians.

[@frysebox1]

@@HellecticMojo I agree, they must be bullied into the natural conclusion of that ideology, which is authoritarian fascism.

[@ThreadBomb]

@@HellecticMojo Libertarians are basically children who can't stand the idea that they have a communal responsibility. "Why do I have to consider other people? Why???"

[@aduma123]

this epitomizes why i find shopping for anything stressful

[@nikoincroatia]

Choosing a career is a source of crippling anxiety for me. At least if I was forced to carry on the family business/take whatever apprenticeship I was offered, I'd know that if I didn't like it it wasn't my fault.

[@Ph0enixFan7]

"Holiday, Career or Biscuit" haha made me laugh

[@bodnotbod]

There's at least two TED talks that show that choice can often lead us to be more miserable. It's an interesting subject. I notice it most when it comes to buying an electrical good, it takes me weeks to make a decision sometimes.

[@tafazzi-on-discord]

It's easy. Before looking anuthing up, decide how much you want to spend, and choose between the first 5 things that are reasonably close to your randomly selected budget.

[@nickzardiashvili624]

Sartre would love this! He would probably say that David is clinging to bad faith and he must understand he's always absolutely responsible.

[@ThreadBomb]

'I'd rather be happy than right any day.' 'And are you?' 'No. That's where it all falls down, of course.'

[@blaisevillaume2225]

Oh boy, I just WISH I could hear what that little frog had to fucking say

[@tafazzi-on-discord]

Sartre was a fcuking moron and I'm amazed anyone older than 14 listened to him outside mental hospitals

[@Turnip_king]

This is part of the reason as to why I'm vegetarian. When you're ordering from a menu of 20 choices is reduced to the 3 vegetarian options.

[@KindredBrujah]

Sadly I can't even discount the three as I actually quite like some vegetarian meals.

[@jacksmith3148]

That is the first thing I've ever heard that made me consider being a vegetarian. Fuck, I could go full vegan with that in mind.

[@helphelpimbeingrepressed9347]

Jack Smith Yes but then smug self-righteousness would engulf you & make you insufferable.

[@ThreadBomb]

@@helphelpimbeingrepressed9347 What about the pompous outrage of meat eaters at the idea of people not eating meat?

[@helphelpimbeingrepressed9347]

@@ThreadBomb Yes

[@stessert2208]

In his book 'The art of thinking clearly', Rolf Dobelli dedicates a chapter (21st) as to explaining why more choice is less [satisfaction with choice]. It is very interesting further reading as is the book entirely.

[@craffte]

Yay! A book suggestion thanks!

[@ThreadBomb]

So the first thing you should do when faced with choice is rapidly whittle the options down.

[@jcalpha103]

I know and I have used it in that sense before, however when it was pointed out by someone else I was surprised I had never really thought about the question before.

[@ShangoMass]

Reminds me of a TED talk about the illusion of choice by Dan GIlbert. Worth checking out and equally as comical.

[@YodaOnDMT]

What is morally good or bad is defined by society. Sometimes specific to a particular society. But of course this is on the assumption that Iwas referring to basic human instinct to not cause suffering to others, which is of course a learned behaviour.

[@erobed21]

There's another side to this too. If you have spent a huge amount of time making your choice perfect, analysing every detail, you then lose the joy you get when you go to a hotel and find that you do get a sea view with your room, or that the person who is portraying Jesus on stage is actually very good. If you go there already knowing that, you don't get the pleasant "oh, that's nice" feeling. Because you already knew it. So it then doesn't impress you. All you might get is the self-satisfaction that you made a good choice - but I don't think that will last quite as long, or provide the same level of enjoyment, as a nice surprise.

[@neuvocastezero1838]

I'm almost certain that it's probably already happened since this has posted, but I would love to see a performer start belting out "The Magic of Mephistopheles" in the Garden at Gethsemane.

[@nelsonemily4]

David Mitchell just made a musical theater joke. My day is that much brighter.

[@3xsweetiepiex3]

Having had to choose my modules for uni yesterday, I completely agree that choice is a bad thing. Now I'm going to spend the rest of the year wondering if I should have taken Poetry instead of Prose, or Publication instead of Film.

[@TheChandamonium]

David mitchel's been reading Sartre's nausea

[@Schensue]

Want some additional thought why choice is not as good as policy makers think it is? Parents choosing their child's secondary school fall into three categories. Either the parents have a huge amount of ressourcen and therefore can make an almost perfect decision, they have almost no ressources, but value familiarity and choose a local school, or they just don't have enough ressources but still know how important their decision is. Everybody tends to be happy with their choice but the last group.

[@RobHoffmann]

Remember... if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

[@danthemango]

If a Restaurant has one good option, but 12 bad options I feel liberated. When the Restaurant has 4 or 5 equally good options, I'm paralyzed and must send the waiter away for most of half an hour in order to feel content with choosing only one.

[@Arsenalr00l]

Love these videos

[@DakNJaxter]

Its weird how true the responsibility bit is.

[@fournya]

There's a great TED Talk about this exact subject, if anyone is interested. It's called "The Paradox of Choice" by Barry Schwartz.

[@paulj6662]

It used to be that either you had a phone or you did not, They were all the same and no one cared Now there are 16 kinds of sun dried tomatoes and "A coffee" is no longer that simple and why do we need to Choose a supplier of electricity? Choice? a completely unnecessary & baffling imposition

[@crazypants88]

Not sure if this is Poe's law....

[@K9Negative]

I agree to the certain extent. When there's too much choice, it takes longer to make a decision and I don't like spending that much time on something, especially if it's trivial. It's not that I feel responsible for making a decision that turned out badly, it's just that I'm annoyed that it takes so damn long to gather the information needed to make the choice in the first place.

[@markus2004]

David, you should check out these great TED talks which discuss exactly the choice - satisfaction dilemma: Dan Gilbert: Exploring the frontiers of happiness Alain De Botton: A kinder, gentler philosophy

[@Paul-A01]

This is something grocery stores and the like do. They don't shelve every available brand of butter, and they don't just stock the store brand. They limit the available options by quality control and price and give you a limited choice so you don't have to agonize too much about balancing price and quality.

[@ameagher2]

True, but more to the topic, this is a rare show in the series wherein David offers personal and tangible evidence in support of his rant. I refer to his decision not to make a decision, on the choice of the colour of his shirt. I've heard that his underwear is also of that shade - could someone check that out please? To ask, or not to ask ... decisions decisions ... sorry.

[@JoeTrickey]

Another great one as usual! It should be called "Bad Choice"

[@Foobdiddy]

then what happens if we choose not to make a choice?

[@thescowlingschnauzer]

For more on this topic, google "Barry Schwartz Paradox of Choice." It has, in fact, been subjected to empirical scrutiny, and Mitchell is correct - more choice than expected leads to paralysis.

[@CaptainQuo]

Charmander, Chikorita, Mudkip, Turtwig. And none of those choices are based on ability to make the game easier or harder, but rather what moves they can learn that I like.

[@radioactivequackery]

I'll agree that arbitrary choices are a complete waste of time, but I still want to be able to make life's most important decisions, such as which starting Pokémon I'm going to use.

[@ParticleJesus]

We should be given a choice in whether we want a choice or not.

[@greatsayain]

Of course it does, but most people don't use it in that sense. (i hope) Now its used more as a metaphor for time paradox

[@GregoriusTheBrown]

I'm pretty sure he means in terms of message. You remember Loki saying he wanted to "Free us from Freedom"?

[@Pravoizavlijesvijeta]

David Mitchell trifft den Nagel auf den Kopf. Diese sprachliche Dichte ist atemberaubend. Zwei Minuten reichen diesem präzisen Beobachter vollkommen aus, um seine wütende Logik in sozialkritischer Weise auszubreiten und unseren Alltag auszuleuchten.

[@annetteholman2999]

Brilliant!

[@robintpup2]

He's cut it now, I saw him on kilburn high street a month or two ago! May have regrown it I suppose, but I know these series' are all done in a day or two.

[@wesk203]

are you referring to Barry Schwartz: The paradox of choice? Because that was a fantastic speech he gave on the subject.

[@IcEye89]

Now I'm off to watch that sketch by Fry and Laurie about the BBC and choice. You know the one, the one in the restaurant.

[@viktorkardell9366]

David, would you not agree that ore choice is good, in so far as it is a meaningful choice. For instance, in politics (which is mt favorite subject) having two nearly-identical parties that just differ slightly on how the publics money should be spent but agree on the broad strokes of economic and foreign policy is a very hard choice, since it is basically insignificant. Having one party is no choice at all, but having a broad range of parties all representing different parts of the political and ideological spectrum gives you a very easy choice, despite the fact that there are more parties to choose from, as the choice is more meaningful.

[@viktorkardell9366]

Darris Hawks To be fair, so is having two or three or four parties as well.

[@viktorkardell9366]

Darris Hawks I recomend checking out a book called the "The Golden Rule: The Investment THeory of Party Competition."

[@viktorkardell9366]

Darris Hawks THank you :D Please come back here once you're done, if you will. Oh, and if you don't, thank you for being so mannered and sweet :)

[@nash984954]

+AngryAngry Ancom BULL!! Our[USA] system is thus: "To him who hath, to him be given." Corporate welfare, anyone? AND "To him that hasn't got, to him the offer to sit back and suck on it, is all you get."

[@stoutyyyy]

Angry AnCom well, you clearly haven't studied politics much, if you're still a communist

[@jeebersjumpincryst]

thankyou

[@snowman01]

there was a TED talk on this called "the paradox of choice"

[@RaunvisindiMHS]

No man looks better shaven. David is no exception.

[@HaploidCell]

Imagine you stand in a room with a thousand doors. You are told that you can choose any door you want. If you don't like what you see you can turn back and start over. But there is a catch. Each door will cost you years of your life to grant passage. And also, while there are topics written on the doors, the only way to know if you're really interested is to go throug the door. This is the higher education system / job market we find ourselves in. Have fun.

[@Moppy1988]

Ahh... I mainly play Ruby, and Lotad isn't in Ruby. Still, I wouldn't imagine absorb would be able to do all that much?

[@Mars-Stuff-314]

There are actually a few good TED talks about abundance of choice, and how they are a negative force in our lives..

[@YodaOnDMT]

I take it back. Choice is not an illusion, it's a delusion.

[@yusurkassem4174]

Literally hate deciding stuff, can’t even shop for stuff it’s stressful af

[@Haaris.Qureshi]

Love how the comments on this video are all about Pokémon decisions XD

[@TehMagilla]

There is a fantastic video on this (I think it's a Google Talk). It does a fantastic job of explaining the paradox of choice.

[@kodypratt]

I cracked up slightly when it panned to him sitting on a shelf..

[@luderudecrude]

He has a very good point, George Carlin talked about this years ago, too much choice is not a choice

[@MrJoeyWheeler]

*tastes Mitchell Rant* Mmmm...needs more frustration.

[@fourbabies1]

pass the stress on, that's what i say. let someone else take the bloody blame for the choices.

[@WhichDoctor1]

We should be able to choose weather we wont to have the freedom to choose or not.

[@DrChalkwithering]

In fact the term "options paralysis" is an actual term used by psychologists.

[@ThatNativeViking]

I love this

[@mcpencil524]

If it was obvious you wouldn't have any trouble in communicating it to someone other than yourself.

[@shodanxx]

I think Jean-Paul Sartre is pretty clear on this, everything in your life is your fault, you can escape choice, not even for a second

[@DiscoFang]

Except he was French, not English.

[@ThreadBomb]

@@DiscoFang Because he _chose_ to be. The wanker.

[@cairosilver2932]

If you don't really have information about choices then they aren't really choices that you have, they are just blind stabs in the dark. Of course no one knows the best blind stab.

[@stevebloodymckenna]

that already happened in Peep Show when he was visiting Sophie's parents

[@Moppy1988]

Thing is, Treecko and Mudkip don't need that little bit of effort. Might as well catch a Wingull or Lotoad to deal with the first gym. Also, Blaziken's learned moves are awful compared to Swampert. You'll have to waste TMs if you want something capable of taking on the Elite Four.

[@HSMiyamoto]

I don't think the problem with too much choice is being personally responsible for my choices. The real problem is having too spend too much valuable time to make a reasoned choice. It is bad enough when I have to choose my own health insurance plan or investment strategy or cell phone company. How much time do I want to spend choosing toothpaste? Answer: Not an hour. I tell my student that when the 2008 economic crisis happened, the number of kinds and brands of toothpaste fell from over 400 to just under 300. My question, I asked my students, is, knowing that, do you feel that your life has been diminished? Did you notice a reduction in the number of bands and package choices of toothpaste in the last few years? Probably not. Which suggests the only people profiting from having 400+ toothpaste choices are the people making the toothpaste. Not us consumers who just pick up another tube of what we have been using since we were 3 years old.

[@aweirdzergling]

Search youtube for Barry Schwartz: The paradox of choice , it is a discussion on this problem of too much choice.

[@JesusRocksTryPrayin]

I don't mind taking blame for anything. I am however, a social pariah and I did that. I love it

[@mikehinchliffe9163]

Choice is a bad idea, but chance, chance is a fine thing. A fine thing indeed.

[@explosiveegg3920]

Agreed. I am the same way.

[@Crapweeds]

My thoughts exactly.

[@agiar2000]

Oh, dear, you youngsters.... MY first Pokémon, and I do mean FIRST, was Squirtle. Damn Gary waited until after I chose mine to choose Bulbasaur and trounced me. What a dick!

[@Orosian5]

So David isn't really saying choice is a bad idea, he's saying that taking responsibility is a bad idea because he doesn't like blaming himself. Responsibility is not the same as blame. Responsibility is strong. Blame is weak. I'll get off my soapbox now.

[@XxEpIcFaIl54xX]

Bloody good point.

[@Wehttamman]

Why has this video been mirrored?

[@Lucifronz]

Silly David... when you're angry about a flaw, you never blame yourself. You blame everyone else who was even remotely involved!

[@sevenpolar3483]

that only works when you're not married

[@Lucifronz]

@@sevenpolar3483 My father is living proof that's not true.

[@sykesmcenzie]

You're not, but if the balcony doesn't get sun it wont be warm when you do wake up!

[@YodaOnDMT]

Don't believe everything you're told and buy what you need.

[@Dpfpv1]

this is basically concluding to blaming others for the choices you made, which in his opinion is better then blaming your self if the choice you made isn't the right one . sounds pretty pathetic :/

[@lordjoesnow]

no no no. That's not what I meant. I mean his idea sounds like what Loki suggested. Getting rid of choice, we are born to be lead. But I see why my comment can be misconstrued

[@nathanbarnard7896]

Fun existentialist times

[@GutsnoKen]

Not true Mister! I Agree with The Message. I am not British, i am Brazilian but i am a professional Pessimist, Have lived in Great Britain for 5 Years so far and i can say: This Weather is Dreadful.

[@asterix811]

So many youtube videos to choose from...

[@RevelAlliance]

love TED talks

[@pepitochavez]

I see where you're coming from.. but preferring not to choose would be a choice, wouldn't it? It could even be seen as cowardly or foolish to let the decision lie in someone else besides yourself. I would say the best thing you could do is stomach the ambivalence, the difficulty, the potential self-blame, and make a damn choice. And sure, the more choices the more paralyzing.. but that's a great deal of life--shaking the paralysis coming at you from practically every which direction

[@kanped]

I'm not convinced. But then, I'm one of those people who, when going in for an operation, tries to find out what it entails and find out about the choice of surgeons I may have. Although, I've never actually had a choice of surgeon before. I'm sure they're all pretty much fine

[@grahamlive]

I love that sketch. I might just join you. :)

[@nn101198]

Personally, I don't like choices between very large amount of things because I find it very hard to just settle on one. And because I don't want to spend ages in indecision I end up just choosing one and often get annoyed because afterwards lots of other choices look better. I hate getting assignments with really vague parameters because I have no idea what to do. I dread the thought of choosing a place to live.

[@mindmenot_]

For just 2 minutes I thought I could lay down my excitement for JCS and think about something else. Damn you Mitchell! October 12th is too far away :D