I believe that many modern Americans are feeling less and less satisfied even as their freedom of choice expands. (Location 106)
Supermarkets are unusual as repositories for what are called “nondurable goods,” goods that are quickly used and replenished. So buying the wrong brand of cookies doesn’t have significant emotional or financial consequences. (Location 170)
A century ago, a college curriculum entailed a largely fixed course of study, with a principal goal of educating people in their ethical and civic traditions. (Location 201)
Thirty percent of the people exposed to the small array of jams actually bought a jar; only 3 percent of those exposed to the large array of jams did so. (Location 273)
a majority of people want more control over the details of their lives, but a majority of people also want to simplify their lives. There you have it—the paradox of our times. (Location 340)
As long as we include social interactions in our information gathering, and as long as our sources of information are diverse, we can probably steer clear of the worst pitfalls. (Location 791)
The answer is complicated. Whereas maximizers might do better objectively than satisficers, they tend to do worse subjectively. (Location 1128)
A perfectionist is not satisfied doing a “good enough” job if he or she can do better. A musician keeps practicing and practicing a piece even after she has reached a level of performance that virtually everyone in the audience will regard as flawless. (Location 1159)
I think that perfectionists have very high standards that they don’t expect to meet, whereas maximizers have very high standards that they do expect to meet. (Location 1164)
That work strongly suggests that the more control people have, the less helpless, and thus the less depressed, they will be. (Location 1385)
We earn more and spend more, but we spend less time with others. More than a quarter of Americans report being lonely, and loneliness seems to come not from being alone, but from lack of intimacy. (Location 1391)
Time spent dealing with choice is time taken away from being a good friend, a good spouse, a good parent, and a good congregant. (Location 1410)
following rules eliminates troublesome choices in your daily life, each time you get into a car or each time you go to a cocktail party. (Location 1441)
Apparently we always think we want choice, but when we actually get it, we may not like it. (Location 1475)
Even decisions as trivial as renting a video become important if we believe that these decisions are revealing something significant about ourselves. (Location 1750)