Whether we're buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long-distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a 401(k), everyday decisions -- both big and small -- have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented. As Americans, we assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But beware of excessive choice: choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision-making paralysis, anxiety, and perpetual stress. And, in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression. In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains at what point choice -- the hallmark of individual freedom and self-determination that we so cherish -- becomes detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz shows how the dramatic explosion in choice -- from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs -- has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution. Schwartz also shows how our obsession with choice encourages us to seek that which makes us feel worse. By synthesizing current research in the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counter intuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. He offers eleven practical steps on how to limit choices to a manageable number, have the discipline to focus on those that are important and ignore the rest, and ultimately derive greater satisfaction from the choices you have to make.

巴裏•施瓦茨Barry Schwartz

★ 美國斯沃斯莫爾學院社會心理學教授，2009年TED大會壓軸演講人，以博學和風趣徵服觀眾。在現場聆聽他演講的觀眾超過5000人，既有政府官員，也有商業人士，遍布金融、零售、餐飲、廣告、娛樂等眾多行業。在互聯網上觀看他演講視頻的人數更是超過瞭500萬。

★ 其著作《選擇的悖論》自齣版以來好評如潮，先後榮登美國《商業周刊》、《福布斯》雜誌年度10大暢銷書，在全球以20多種語言發行。

★ 他本人多次接受CNN、PBS、CBS等一綫媒體的采訪，他的文章頻頻發錶在《紐約時報》、《哈佛商業評論》、《衛報》等頂級報刊雜誌。