Why is decision making so hard

And then there is the surreal abundance of the store shelf. Do we really need 13 different varieties of Cheerios? Why does the average drug store contain 55 floss alternatives and more than kinds of toothpaste? While all these products are designed to cater to particular consumer niches, they end up duping the brain into believing that picking a floss is a high-stakes game, since it's so damn hard.

And so we get mired in decision-making quicksand. The good news is that some companies are starting to realize this is a marketing mistake, that people get turned off by the illusion of difficulty. Choosing oral hygiene products shouldn't feel like the SAT. Some manufacturers are putting the brakes on new-product introductions.

Last year, 69 new toothpastes hit store shelves, down from in , according to market-research firm Mintel International Group.

Stores are trying to simplify, too. Last month, distinct types or sizes of toothpaste were sold at retail, down from in March , according to Spire LLC, which tracks shopping data from more than 30 million U. Supervalu Inc. Nov 13, , am EST. Nov 12, , pm EST. Nov 12, , am EST. Nov 11, , pm EST. Nov 11, , am EST. Edit Story. Business coach. Keynote speaker. Author of Leadership Language.

Why U. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Hit up a yoga class or hang out with friends. Step 2. Give yourself some time if possible. Give yourself the chance to sit on a problem for a while so that you can process your options and feel confident about the course of action you choose.

Step 3. Weigh the pros and cons. When faced with a big decision, sometimes we lose sight of the big picture. Write a list of pros and cons for each course of action and then compare them. Step 4. Think about your goals and values. When you factor into a decision the things that are important to you, the best option might become obvious. Cognitive biases aren't the only things that can affect decision-making.

More and more studies show that stress can have an impact—both on the quality of our decisions and on our ability to make them. Take this well-known study about jam. At an upscale food market, researchers set up two displays offering free samples of jam. One gave customers six different flavors to choose from; the other gave them The larger display attracted more people, but they were six times less likely to actually buy a jar of jam compared to those who visited the smaller display.

The reason for this is a phenomenon now known as choice overload. Choice overload can happen any time we feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. We have such a hard time comparing them that we're less likely to choose anything at all. As in the jam example, many of us would sooner walk away empty-handed than deal with the stress of choosing from such a large selection. A similar thing happens when we're forced to make multiple decisions one after another—a common occurrence in everyday life.

We experience an effect psychologists call decision fatigue.