Download or read book The Paradox of Choice written by Barry Schwartz and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2003-12-22 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book The Era of Choice written by Edward C. Rosenthal Ph.D. and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2006-09-22 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How today's cornucopia of choices has transformed our lives and our culture, from the foundations of scientific theory to the anxiety of everyday decisions. Today most of us are awash with choices. The cornucopia of material goods available to those of us in the developed world can turn each of us into a kid in a candy store; but our delight at picking the prize is undercut by our regret at lost opportunities. And what's the criterion for choosing anything—material, spiritual, the path taken or not taken—when we have lost our faith in everything? In The Era of Choice Edward Rosenthal argues that choice, and having to make choices, has become the most important influence in both our personal lives and our cultural expression. Choice, he claims, has transformed how we live, how we think, and who we are. This transformation began in the nineteenth century, catalyzed by the growing prosperity of the Industrial Age and a diminishing faith in moral and scientific absolutes. The multiplicity of choices forces us to form oppositions; this, says Rosenthal, has spawned a keen interest in dualism, dilemmas, contradictions, and paradoxes. In response, we have developed mechanisms to hedge, compromise, and to synthesize. Rosenthal looks at the scientific and philosophical theories and cultural movements that choice has influenced—from physics (for example, Niels Bohr's theory that light is both particle and wave) to postmodernism, from Disney trailers to multiculturalism. He also reveals the effect of choice on the personal level, where we grapple with decisions that range from which wine to have with dinner to whether to marry or divorce, as we hurtle through lives of instant gratification, accelerated consumption, trend, change, and speed. But we have discovered, writes Rosenthal, that sometimes, we can have our cake and eat it, too.
Download or read book Yes or No written by Jeff Shinabarger and published by David C Cook. This book was released on 2014-09-01 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As you face daily choices that require yes or no decisions, there are times when you feel paralyzed—either from fear of making the wrong choice or because of too many seemingly equal options. Social entrepeneur Jeff Shinabarger helps you break through these moments of tension and transition with proven ways to move toward good choices. Discover opportunities to become a decision maker as you gain strength in saying no, develop your personal philosophy of choice, and start using a practical process for making good choices even in difficult situations.
Download or read book The Authenticity Principle written by Ritu Bhasin and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a society that pushes conformity, how can you be courageously authentic despite fear of judgment? Award-winning leadership and diversity expert Ritu Bhasin gives you the tools to make this happen. This is more than a call to "be yourself"-it's a rally to disrupt the status quo, bring your differences to the light, and help others do the same.
Download or read book My Choice My Life written by Jay M. Greenfeld and published by Outskirts Press. This book was released on 2012-09 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In todays fast-paced existence, its easy to feel our lives are sometimes spinning out of control. But heres the good news: We actually have total control over our everyday choices. Now, put yourself back in charge and achieve a more balanced lifestyle with My Choice - My Life: Realizing Your Ability to Create Balance in Life. Stress management and well-being expert Jay M. Greenfeld reveals his common-sense approach for balancing the four pillars of your life - its physical, emotional, social, and professional components - with an emphasis on making positive choices. Here are the hints, devices, techniques, and suggestions to apply to your life, your worldand on your time. Youll learn:How to use positive thinking and awareness to break negative habits and ingrained, self-defeating negative actionsThe secrets to achieving success at work, at home, and in relationshipsWays to attain balance at any life stage: teens, twenties and beyondHow to get the most out of your personal relationshipswhether with parents, children or your life-partner Steps that will put you on the path toward a healthier, more fulfilling and less stressful lifePacked with anecdotes and practical encouragement, My Choice - My Life is an empowering tool that will show results each time you make a decision. Free yourself from feelings of hopelessness and regain your focus and your balanceits all up to you!
Download or read book Choice in Everyday Life written by Robert Urquhart and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2004-11-27 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social choice and decision-making are key topics in economic theory and Robert Urquhart delves into the world of philosophy in this superb new book.
Download or read book Choice Theory written by William Glasser, M.D. and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2010-11-16 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dr. William Glasser offers a new psychology that, if practiced, could reverse our widespread inability to get along with one another, an inability that is the source of almost all unhappiness. For progress in human relationships, he explains that we must give up the punishing, relationship–destroying external control psychology. For example, if you are in an unhappy relationship right now, he proposes that one or both of you could be using external control psychology on the other. He goes further. And suggests that misery is always related to a current unsatisfying relationship. Contrary to what you may believe, your troubles are always now, never in the past. No one can change what happened yesterday.
Download or read book The Elements of Choice written by Eric J. Johnson and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2021-10-12 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A leader in decision-making research reveals how choices are designed—and why it’s so important to understand their inner workings Every time we make a choice, our minds go through an elaborate process most of us never even notice. We’re influenced by subtle aspects of the way the choice is presented that often make the difference between a good decision and a bad one. How do we overcome the common faults in our decision-making and enable better choices in any situation? The answer lies in more conscious and intentional decision design. Going well beyond the familiar concepts of nudges and defaults, The Elements of Choice offers a comprehensive, systematic guide to creating effective choice architectures, the environments in which we make decisions. The designers of decisions need to consider all the elements involved in presenting a choice: how many options to offer, how to present those options, how to account for our natural cognitive shortcuts, and much more. These levers are unappreciated and we’re often unaware of just how much they influence our reasoning every day. Eric J. Johnson is the lead researcher behind some of the most well-known and cited research on decision-making. He draws on his original studies and extensive work in business and public policy and synthesizes the latest research in the field to reveal how the structure of choices affects outcomes. We are all choice architects, for ourselves and for others. Whether you’re helping students choose the right school, helping patients pick the best health insurance plan, or deciding how to invest for your own retirement, this book provides the tools you need to guide anyone to the decision that’s right for them.
Download or read book It s Your Choice written by Dan Harsh and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2019-08-29 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every day we make choices. These choices impact our lives, our careers, our families, our health, our successes, and our failures. Often we make choices without considering the impact or consequences that may result. We make choices every day in the workplace and in our personal lives that mold and craft our future, and we are not even aware of it. Where we are today is a direct result of the choices we have made. Where we will be tomorrow is directly related to the choices we are going to make. Each of us has been dealt a hand of cards. The cards we have been dealt may have been outside our control. However, how we respond to these cards is 100 percent within our control. The best poker players don’t win because they always have the best cards; they win because they know how to play the cards they are dealt. They know when to fold, when to stay in the game, how to read the other players at the table, and when to bluff. They win because of choices they make with the cards they were dealt. It’s Your Choice will help bring clarity and perspective to the choices you are faced with each day in the workplace and in your personal life. It will bring reason and logic to things that you may not have considered before. It’s Your Choice is designed to challenge you to think differently, more clearly, and with a larger perspective of the choices you make each day. There will be things in It’s Your Choice you don’t want to hear. There will be things shared that will challenge you to think deeper than you have in the past. What you do with what you read in It’s Your Choice is indeed your choice.
Download or read book The Art of Choosing written by Sheena Iyengar and published by Twelve. This book was released on 2010-04-01 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every day we make choices. Coke or Pepsi? Save or spend? Stay or go? Whether mundane or life-altering, these choices define us and shape our lives. Sheena Iyengar asks the difficult questions about how and why we choose: Is the desire for choice innate or bound by culture? Why do we sometimes choose against our best interests? How much control do we really have over what we choose? Sheena Iyengar's award-winning research reveals that the answers are surprising and profound. In our world of shifting political and cultural forces, technological revolution, and interconnected commerce, our decisions have far-reaching consequences. Use The Art of Choosing as your companion and guide for the many challenges ahead.
Download or read book Decisive written by Chip Heath and published by Random House Canada. This book was released on 2013-03-26 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The four principles that can help us to overcome our brains' natural biases to make better, more informed decisions--in our lives, careers, families and organizations. In Decisive, Chip Heath and Dan Heath, the bestselling authors of Made to Stick and Switch, tackle the thorny problem of how to overcome our natural biases and irrational thinking to make better decisions, about our work, lives, companies and careers. When it comes to decision making, our brains are flawed instruments. But given that we are biologically hard-wired to act foolishly and behave irrationally at times, how can we do better? A number of recent bestsellers have identified how irrational our decision making can be. But being aware of a bias doesn't correct it, just as knowing that you are nearsighted doesn't help you to see better. In Decisive, the Heath brothers, drawing on extensive studies, stories and research, offer specific, practical tools that can help us to think more clearly about our options, and get out of our heads, to improve our decision making, at work and at home.
Download or read book Behavioral Decision Making written by George Wright and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-11 with total page 570 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Weighing Reasons written by Errol Lord and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Normative reasons have become a popular theoretical tool in recent decades. One helpful feature of normative reasons is their weight. The fourteen new essays in this book theorize about many different aspects of weight. Topics range from foundational issues to applications of weight in debates across philosophy.
Download or read book Decision Making by the Book written by Haddon Robinson and published by Our Daily Bread Publishing. This book was released on 2010-10-01 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It’s said that decisions are made in the details. And yet, we make hundreds, even thousands of decisions daily. So how do Christians process all those details and come up with answers that please God? In Decision-Making by the Book, author, lecturer, and radio personality, Haddon W. Robinson, takes his usual clear-eyed, not-a-word-wasted approach, to help you make decisions according to biblical principles—every time.
Download or read book Take Charge of Your Life written by William Glasser and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2013-03-19 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A game changer for anyone ready to become the captain of their own ship. Dr. Phil McGraw, host of the nationally syndicated series Dr. Phil Take Charge of Your Life urges readers to stop blaming and start accepting responsibility for choices. Jeannine Chartier Hanscom, ForeWord Reviews Are you seeking a happier and more satisfying life? In Take Charge of Your Life, author Dr. William Glasser explains choice theorya science of human behavior and principles for regaining and maintaining a life you controland how it can help you find personal freedom from relationship-destroying external control. Take Charge of Your Life, a revision of his 1984 book Control Theory, explains choice theory using personalized examples and illustrative stories that allow you to learn how to improve your relationships and take charge of your actions. Topics include marital and relationship problems, parenthood, addictions, pain management, and psychosomatic disorders. For each situation, Dr. Glasser ties behavior to the pictures people create in their minds of what they want. He explains how the pictures got there and how people can choose new behaviors to get what they really want. In Take Charge of Your Life, Glasser offers a real model of empowerment. He shows how you can become a part of the equation that adds happiness and connection to the world in which you live now and to the world of future generations.
Download or read book The Five Life Decisions written by Robert T. Michael and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2016-08-05 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Choices matter. And in your teens and twenties, some of the biggest life decisions come about when you feel the least prepared to tackle them. Economist Robert T. Michael won’t tell you what to choose. Instead, he’ll show you how to make smarter choices. Michael focuses on five critical decisions we all face about college, career, partners, health, and parenting. He uses these to demonstrate how the science of scarcity and choice—concepts used to guide major business decisions and shape national legislation—can offer a solid foundation for our own lives. Employing comparative advantage can have a big payoff when picking a job. Knowing how to work the marketplace can minimize uncertainty when choosing a partner. And understanding externalities—the ripple of results from our actions—can clarify the if and when of having children. Michael also brings in data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, a scientific sample of 18 million millennials in the United States that tracks more than a decade of young adult choices and consequences. As the survey’s longtime principal investigator and project director, Michael shows that the aggregate decisions can help us understand what might lie ahead along many possible paths—offering readers insights about how their own choices may turn out. There’s no singular formula for always making the right choice. But the adaptable framework and rich data at the heart of The Five Life Decisions will help you feel confident in whatever you decide.
Download or read book Choice Theory A Very Short Introduction written by Michael Allingham and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2002-08-22 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We make choices all the time - about trivial matters, about how to spend our money, about how to spend our time, about what to do with our lives. And we are also constantly judging the decisions other people make as rational or irrational. But what kind of criteria are we applying when we say that a choice is rational? What guides our own choices, especially in cases where we don't have complete information about the outcomes? What strategies should be applied in making decisions which affect a lot of people, as in the case of government policy? This book explores what it means to be rational in all these contexts. It introduces ideas from economics, philosophy, and other areas, showing how the theory applies to decisions in everyday life, and to particular situations such as gambling and the allocation of resources. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
