Too much choice isn’t always best

Have you ever been given so many choices that you feel overwhelmed? You’re not alone. There have even been studies done that indicate sometimes people prefer fewer choices.

I’m an avid follower of the author Sheena Iyengar, who wrote The Art of Choosing, an overview of how choice impacts our lives. My favorite example of befuddling choice was the Jam Study.

Dr. Iyengar was a professor at Stanford when she ran this study. Near the entrance of a Palo Alto grocery store, she set up a jam tasting bar featuring 24 different selections. Closer to the aisle where jams are normally sold, she set up a tasting bar with just six jams.

Of the shoppers who visited one of the two tasting bars, 60 percent chose to visit the one with the larger selection. However, only 3 percent of them purchased a jam from the large array of choices. Whereas 30 percent of the shoppers who visited the tasting bar offering just six options of jam made a purchase. 

The author concluded that we can be overwhelmed by too many choices. Also, we may want to expend emotional energy on more important decisions than which jam to choose. 

This is why at Made Easy Meals we offer pre-selected meal bundles, including a Chef’s Pick bundle – to help make choosing meals easier. Our meals are not only healthy – diabetic-friendly, with portion control (< 400 calories), low sodium, no artificial sugar, and high fiber – they’re delicious.