Remember when Baskin Robbins’ 31 flavors were groundbreaking? It was only a few decades ago that we had four choices for breakfast cereal, there were a handful of standard news broadcasters, a limited cable TV menu, and everyone shopped the popular clothing brands available at the local mall. Your weekend plans with friends may have hinged on a choice between the four films showing at the local movie theatre or the house party everyone was going to.
The world has opened up dramatically, and our options have expanded across the board. From what to watch on a Friday night to which apps we order lunch with, we’re spoiled for choice. Yet it’s not as empowering as expected.
Psychology journals have been pondering the phenomena of “overchoice” for decades now. There are studies that suggest an abundance of options can lead to increased hesitation (the idea that we scale up chances of being wrong) and regret because we can’t fully examine and understand options before deciding.
While abundance should be a luxury, psychology tells us that it often produces the opposite sense: less satisfaction and less peace of mind.
More Was Supposed to Be Better
The belief that freedom and choice go together has been prevalent in American policy and marketing. While limited options may trigger claustrophobia, unlimited choice is having unexpected effects, leading to a phenomenon called “choice paralysis.” It’s that stuck-in-limbo feeling you get when the range of possibilities is so overwhelming that you don’t choose anything at all.
A restaurant menu with 5 items may feel restrictive, but replaced with 20 tempting pages, you might feel increasingly stressed as the waiter circles, asking whether you’re ready to order. What if the tacos aren’t as good as the burger? What if there are 36 types of tacos and they all look amazing?
Barry Schwartz wrote about decision paralysis and the stress we experience when expanded options raise pressure and expectations. In his book The Paradox of Choice, he suggested that autonomy is satisfying only to a certain point, but when we surpass that sweet spot, indecision, anxiety, and dissatisfaction are the result. We perceive the lack of boundaries and limits as a test with ever-increasing stakes. Our confidence wanes and we fear failing to choose well.
Streaming, Scrolling, and Overcoming FOMO
The fear of missing out (FOMO) shows up in all aspects of modern life. The music we stream, the shows we watch, and the people we date are presented in vast virtual menus now. There’s a running joke about spending the evening “looking for something to watch on Netflix” or hours scrolling YouTube’s suggested videos—far more time searching than was originally planned for watching. It’s not uncommon to give up after a while, having never really settled on anything at all.
Multiple factors are at play here, but the fear of choosing one thing while missing out on something better is not insignificant. What if there’s a better show, just one scroll away and you clicked “watch now” too soon? The irony of worrying that you’ll waste your time while simultaneously spending loads of time deciding may go unnoticed.
FOMO fuels the illusion that perfection is attainable—we just have to choose correctly. It’s not easy to let the concept of “perfect” go, but perhaps that’s the start of true freedom in choice.
The Digital Dilemma is Changing the Market
The floodgate of options has been opened, not just for consumers, but for everyone trying to reach them. Creators, developers, and advertisers are adapting to their own oversaturated landscape, which has, paradoxically, made it harder for them to stand out.
Now that we have tens of thousands of podcasts to listen to and overseas shopping at our fingertips, companies compete with massive markets to get your attention.
So how do they cut through the noise? Smart brands have become savvier at stopping the scroll with messaging or imagery that strikes a unique chord. They’ve had to be more creative when standing side-by-side with a million similar things. They’ve had to ramp up service, build trust, and personalize what they do.
The cleverest creators know that people are weary of the carnival of options and want to go deeper, with a narrow focus on products that suit them, rather than compare endlessly at a surface level. They’re learning to help customers navigate, filter, and curate just what they want.
Psychology-Informed Design Equals Customer Satisfaction
“Curated” is a 2025 buzzword with good reason. While we drown in a sea of choice, companies that design tools to direct us are coming out on top. We wanted more choices—now we want help making them too.
Digital entertainment platforms like Casinos.com know that their users value trustworthiness, fast, payouts, and security standards. They want bonus offers and rewards, but they don’t want to be overwhelmed with flashy ads and a multitude of similar-looking sites promising the same things. Sites like this help people skip hours of tedious comparisons using intelligent filtering tools.
Websites that filter out the illusion of choice (numerous features you don’t actually want) and hit the mark with just a few can increase satisfaction and consumer confidence immensely. When you see just what appeals to you in a few clicks rather than wall-to-wall bad options, you’re more likely to stay, play, and return.
This isn’t just convenience—it’s psychological strategy. Services that keep human nature in mind work with market trends and use them to their advantage. Everyone benefits.
Whether curating playlists (“we think you’ll like this”) or integrating AI-powered recommendations, the goal is to reduce friction and increase confidence.
Choosing Confidently in an Era of Abundance
It’s validating to know that choice overload is real. It means we can be more gracious with ourselves when feeling indecisive and maybe let go of the mythical “perfect” choice.
The psychology of choice helps us understand why more is not always better and in fact, could be making us miserable.
Luckily, designers and marketers who understand human behavior are building tools to simplify, guide, and streamline the decision-making process. The goal is to debate a few great options, not mountains of mediocre ones. And the same people who provide limitless possibilities can help shine a light on our personal best path. We don’t need more limits—just the clarity to look past everything and see what’s genuinely meant for us.