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decision making
Having too many choices makes us buy nothing.
A 2000 study found that while 24 choices of jam attracted more onlookers, only 3% bought any, compared to 30% when offered only six choices.
Researchers set up a tasting booth in a gourmet market, alternating between six and 24 flavors of jam. While the larger display drew more crowds, the smaller display led to ten times more sales.
Your difficulty choosing a movie on streaming sites is a predictable reaction to abundance.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Iyengar & Lepper, 2000, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- What the check found
- The 2000 study by Iyengar & Lepper indeed found that 3% (4 of 145) of shoppers who stopped at the 24-jam display purchased jam, compared to 30% (31 of 104) at the 6-jam display. Note that later meta-analyses have struggled to replicate this choice-overload effect consistently.
- Confidence
- Well replicated
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.