TED talk Sheena Iyengar on the art of choosing

The first group came in, and they were greeted by Miss Smith, who showed them six big piles of anagram puzzles.

It's not a marker of liberation, but of suffocation by meaningless minutiae.

This was due to a fundamental difference in our ideas about choice.

We live entirely by the imposition of a narrative line upon disparate images, by the ideas with which we have learned to freeze the shifting phantasmagoria which is our actual experience."

Yet that is exactly what the American paradigm demands.

When the participants arrived for their interview I offered them a set of drinks, Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite -- seven, to be exact.

It leaves little room for interdependence or an acknowledgment of individual fallibility.

Unfortunately, these beliefs are based on assumptions that don't always hold true in many countries, in many cultures.

People that have grown up in such a paradigm might find it motivating.

"It's a glamorous shade of pink."

People that have grown up in such a paradigm might find it motivating.

It leaves little room for interdependence or an acknowledgment of individual fallibility.

When, in contrast, two or more individuals see their choices and their outcomes as intimately connected, then they may amplify one another's success by turning choosing into a collective act.

Sheena Iyengar: Well, it's funny that you should ask that, because one of the things that's interesting about being blind is you actually get a different vantage point when you observe the way sighted people make choices.

Unable to breathe on her own, she was put on a ventilator.

Americans have so often tried to disseminate their ideas of choice, believing that they will be, or ought to be, welcomed with open hearts and minds.

When someone can't see how one choice is unlike another, or when there are too many choices to compare and contrast, the process of choosing can be confusing and frustrating.

And the other one was "Adorable."

In America, the primary locus of choice is the individual.

And this does not lead to a paralyzing moral relativism.

And I guess one of the questions on everybody's mind is: How does that influence your study of choosing, because that's an activity that for most people is associated with visual inputs like aesthetics and color and so on?

We live entirely by the imposition of a narrative line upon disparate images, by the ideas with which we have learned to freeze the shifting phantasmagoria which is our actual experience."

But for Eastern Europeans, the sudden availability of all these consumer products on the marketplace was a deluge.

They could either remove Barbara off the life support, in which case she would die within a matter of hours, or they could keep her on life support, in which case she might still die within a matter of days. if she survived, she would remain in a permanent vegetative state, never able to walk, talk or interact with others.

For them, choice was not just a way of defining and asserting their individuality, but a way to create community and harmony by deferring to the choices of people whom they trusted and respected.

This brings me to the third, and perhaps most problematic assumption: "You must never say no to choice."

From my American perspective, when a paying customer makes a reasonable request based on her preferences, she has every right to have that request met.

From my American perspective, when a paying customer makes a reasonable request based on her preferences, she has every right to have that request met.

Here, I interviewed people who were residents of formerly communist countries, who had all faced the challenge of transitioning to a more democratic and capitalistic society.

And I guess one of the questions on everybody's mind is: How does that influence your study of choosing, because that's an activity that for most people is associated with visual inputs like aesthetics and color and so on?

(Laughter)

For modern Americans who are exposed to more options and more ads associated with options than anyone else in the world, choice is just as much about who they are as it is about what the product is.

And one was called "Ballet Slippers."

In a number of cases they were even clinically depressed.

So I brought these two bottles of nail polish into the laboratory, and I stripped the labels off.

We live entirely by the imposition of a narrative line upon disparate images, by the ideas with which we have learned to freeze the shifting phantasmagoria which is our actual experience."

(Laughter) In reality, the kids who were told what to do, whether by Miss Smith or their mothers, were actually given the very same activity, which their counterparts in the first group had freely chosen.

When the participants arrived for their interview I offered them a set of drinks, Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite -- seven, to be exact.

I knew even then that I would encounter cultural differences and misunderstandings, but they popped up when I least expected it.

And I guess one of the questions on everybody's mind is: How does that influence your study of choosing, because that's an activity that for most people is associated with visual inputs like aesthetics and color and so on?

It's a great story, and it's understandable why they would be reluctant to revise it.

I'd like to discuss some of these assumptions and the problems associated with them.

It's a great story, and it's understandable why they would be reluctant to revise it.

Moreover, Americans themselves could benefit from incorporating new perspectives into their own narrative, which has been driving their choices for so long.

50 percent of the women accused me of playing a trick, of putting the same color nail polish in both those bottles.

When someone can't see how one choice is unlike another, or when there are too many choices to compare and contrast, the process of choosing can be confusing and frustrating.

In fact, some of the kids were visibly embarrassed when they were told that their mothers had been consulted.

Robert Frost once said that, "It is poetry that is lost in translation."

In one study, which we ran in Japantown, San Francisco, we brought seven- to nine-year-old Anglo- and Asian-American children into the laboratory, and we divided them up into three groups.

They think that choice as seen through the American lens best fulfills an innate and universal desire for choice in all humans.

With this procedure, we were able to ensure that the kids across the three groups all did the same activity, making it easier for us to compare performance.

The baby was delivered through a C-section, but Barbara suffered cerebral anoxia, a loss of oxygen to the brain.

Resting on the saucer were two packets of sugar.

When someone can't see how one choice is unlike another, or when there are too many choices to compare and contrast, the process of choosing can be confusing and frustrating.

Americans tend to believe that they've reached some sort of pinnacle in the way they practice choice.

Sheena Iyengar: Well, it's funny that you should ask that, because one of the things that's interesting about being blind is you actually get a different vantage point when you observe the way sighted people make choices.

Instead of making better choices, we become overwhelmed by choice, sometimes even afraid of it.

If they had a concept of being true to one's self, then that self, most likely, was composed, not of an individual, but of a collective.

We live entirely by the imposition of a narrative line upon disparate images, by the ideas with which we have learned to freeze the shifting phantasmagoria which is our actual experience."

For them, choice was not just a way of defining and asserting their individuality, but a way to create community and harmony by deferring to the choices of people whom they trusted and respected.

For them, choice was not just a way of defining and asserting their individuality, but a way to create community and harmony by deferring to the choices of people whom they trusted and respected.

Pretty soon, a lengthy discussion ensued, and finally the manager came over to me and said, "I am very sorry.

I knew even then that I would encounter cultural differences and misunderstandings, but they popped up when I least expected it.

But for Eastern Europeans, the sudden availability of all these consumer products on the marketplace was a deluge.

They were never given a chance to learn how to react."

Choice no longer offers opportunities, but imposes constraints.

The first-generation children were strongly influenced by their immigrant parents' approach to choice.

I knew even then that I would encounter cultural differences and misunderstandings, but they popped up when I least expected it.

They think that choice as seen through the American lens best fulfills an innate and universal desire for choice in all humans.

Instead of replacing one story with another, we can learn from and revel in the many versions that exist and the many that have yet to be written.

One night, when Susan was seven months pregnant, she started to experience contractions and was rushed to the emergency room.

If we learn to speak to one another, albeit through translation, then we can begin to see choice in all its strangeness, complexity and compelling beauty.

Let's face it: the way I wanted my tea was inappropriate according to cultural standards, and they were doing their best to help me save face.

In France, the doctors decided whether and when the life support would be removed, while in the United States, the final decision rested with the parents.

And the only thing they had consensus on: well, if I could see them, I would clearly be able to tell them apart.

In America, the primary locus of choice is the individual.

This is the only way to ensure that your preferences and interests will be most fully accounted for.

They think that choice as seen through the American lens best fulfills an innate and universal desire for choice in all humans.

It didn't matter who did the choosing, if the task was dictated by another, their performance suffered.

And I guess one of the questions on everybody's mind is: How does that influence your study of choosing, because that's an activity that for most people is associated with visual inputs like aesthetics and color and so on?

But it is a mistake to assume that everyone thrives under the pressure of choosing alone.

But for Eastern Europeans, the sudden availability of all these consumer products on the marketplace was a deluge.

Again and again, they perceived these seven different sodas, not as seven choices, but as one choice: soda or no soda.

Pretty soon, a lengthy discussion ensued, and finally the manager came over to me and said, "I am very sorry.

We all have physical, mental and emotional limitations that make it impossible for us to process every single choice we encounter, even in the grocery store, let alone over the course of our entire lives.

Such small differences in the way we administered the activity yielded striking differences in how well they performed.

In one study, which we ran in Japantown, San Francisco, we brought seven- to nine-year-old Anglo- and Asian-American children into the laboratory, and we divided them up into three groups.

There are some dilemmas you see.

(Applause)

Bruno Giussani: Thank you.

So bring it on Walmart with 100,000 different products, Amazon with 27 million books and Match.com with -- what is it?

This suggests that whatever is beautiful and moving, whatever gives us a new way to see, cannot be communicated to those who speak a different language.

The phantasmagoria, the actual experience that we try to understand and organize through narrative, varies from place to place.

(Laughter)

In contrast, Asian-American children performed best when they believed their mothers had made the choice, second best when they chose for themselves, and least well when it had been chosen by Miss Smith.

Yeah, I -- as you would expect -- get pretty frustrated by choices like what nail polish to put on, because I have to rely on what other people suggest.

It brings us that much closer to realizing the full potential of choice, to inspiring the hope and achieving the freedom that choice promises but doesn't always deliver.

They could either remove Barbara off the life support, in which case she would die within a matter of hours, or they could keep her on life support, in which case she might still die within a matter of days. if she survived, she would remain in a permanent vegetative state, never able to walk, talk or interact with others.

We interpret what we see, select the most workable of the multiple choices.

"Well, it's a very elegant shade of pink."

For them, choice was not just a way of defining and asserting their individuality, but a way to create community and harmony by deferring to the choices of people whom they trusted and respected.

It leaves little room for interdependence or an acknowledgment of individual fallibility.

I knew even then that I would encounter cultural differences and misunderstandings, but they popped up when I least expected it.

If they had a concept of being true to one's self, then that self, most likely, was composed, not of an individual, but of a collective.

We live entirely by the imposition of a narrative line upon disparate images, by the ideas with which we have learned to freeze the shifting phantasmagoria which is our actual experience."

It's not a marker of liberation, but of suffocation by meaningless minutiae.

These parents could not contemplate giving up the choice, because to do so would have gone contrary to everything they had been taught and everything they had come to believe about the power and purpose of choice.

And so one time I was in a beauty salon, and I was trying to decide between two very light shades of pink.

If we learn to speak to one another, albeit through translation, then we can begin to see choice in all its strangeness, complexity and compelling beauty.

First assumption: if a choice affects you, then you should be the one to make it.

If they had a concept of being true to one's self, then that self, most likely, was composed, not of an individual, but of a collective.

We wondered: does this have an effect on how the parents cope with the loss of their loved one?

But for Eastern Europeans, the sudden availability of all these consumer products on the marketplace was a deluge.

My base of operations is in the U.S.

The first group came in, and they were greeted by Miss Smith, who showed them six big piles of anagram puzzles.

50 percent of the women accused me of playing a trick, of putting the same color nail polish in both those bottles.

When it comes to choice, we have far more to gain than to lose by engaging in the many translations of the narratives.

When, in contrast, two or more individuals see their choices and their outcomes as intimately connected, then they may amplify one another's success by turning choosing into a collective act.

We interpret what we see, select the most workable of the multiple choices.

Here, I interviewed people who were residents of formerly communist countries, who had all faced the challenge of transitioning to a more democratic and capitalistic society.

Combine this with the assumption that more choices are always better, and you have a group of people for whom every little difference matters and so every choice matters.

It brings us that much closer to realizing the full potential of choice, to inspiring the hope and achieving the freedom that choice promises but doesn't always deliver.

With this procedure, we were able to ensure that the kids across the three groups all did the same activity, making it easier for us to compare performance.

In response, he gave me an even more courteous version of the same explanation.

Sheena, there is a detail about your biography that we have not written in the program book.

Choice no longer offers opportunities, but imposes constraints.

If we learn to speak to one another, albeit through translation, then we can begin to see choice in all its strangeness, complexity and compelling beauty.

The baby was delivered through a C-section, but Barbara suffered cerebral anoxia, a loss of oxygen to the brain.

We live entirely by the imposition of a narrative line upon disparate images, by the ideas with which we have learned to freeze the shifting phantasmagoria which is our actual experience."

The baby was delivered through a C-section, but Barbara suffered cerebral anoxia, a loss of oxygen to the brain.

(Laughter)

For modern Americans who are exposed to more options and more ads associated with options than anyone else in the world, choice is just as much about who they are as it is about what the product is.

The value of choice depends on our ability to perceive differences between the options.

In a number of cases they were even clinically depressed.

Such small differences in the way we administered the activity yielded striking differences in how well they performed.

It didn't matter who did the choosing, if the task was dictated by another, their performance suffered.

People must choose for themselves, sometimes sticking to their guns, regardless of what other people want or recommend.

The phantasmagoria, the actual experience that we try to understand and organize through narrative, varies from place to place.

In other words, choice can develop into the very opposite of everything it represents in America when it is thrust upon those who are insufficiently prepared for it.

It's a great story, and it's understandable why they would be reluctant to revise it.

Here, I interviewed people who were residents of formerly communist countries, who had all faced the challenge of transitioning to a more democratic and capitalistic society.

(Laughter) In reality, the kids who were told what to do, whether by Miss Smith or their mothers, were actually given the very same activity, which their counterparts in the first group had freely chosen.

So bring it on Walmart with 100,000 different products, Amazon with 27 million books and Match.com with -- what is it?

First assumption: if a choice affects you, then you should be the one to make it.

One of the most interesting revelations came not from an answer to a question, but from a simple gesture of hospitality.

Mark Lepper and I did a series of studies in which we sought the answer to this very question.

If they had a concept of being true to one's self, then that self, most likely, was composed, not of an individual, but of a collective.

With this procedure, we were able to ensure that the kids across the three groups all did the same activity, making it easier for us to compare performance.

But do all individuals benefit from taking such an approach to choice?

No matter where we're from and what your narrative is, we all have a responsibility to open ourselves up to a wider array of what choice can do, and what it can represent.

Here, I interviewed people who were residents of formerly communist countries, who had all faced the challenge of transitioning to a more democratic and capitalistic society.

Let's test this assumption by heading over to Eastern Europe.

In her essay, "The White Album," Joan Didion writes, "We tell ourselves stories in order to live.

When, in contrast, two or more individuals see their choices and their outcomes as intimately connected, then they may amplify one another's success by turning choosing into a collective act.

In response, he gave me an even more courteous version of the same explanation.

In fact, some of the kids were visibly embarrassed when they were told that their mothers had been consulted.

Here, I interviewed people who were residents of formerly communist countries, who had all faced the challenge of transitioning to a more democratic and capitalistic society.

Again and again, they perceived these seven different sodas, not as seven choices, but as one choice: soda or no soda.

For them, choice was not just a way of defining and asserting their individuality, but a way to create community and harmony by deferring to the choices of people whom they trusted and respected.

It brings us that much closer to realizing the full potential of choice, to inspiring the hope and achieving the freedom that choice promises but doesn't always deliver.

Yeah, I -- as you would expect -- get pretty frustrated by choices like what nail polish to put on, because I have to rely on what other people suggest.

A number of my studies have shown that when you give people 10 or more options when they're making a choice, they make poorer decisions, whether it be health care, investment, other critical areas.

In France, the doctors decided whether and when the life support would be removed, while in the United States, the final decision rested with the parents.

In her essay, "The White Album," Joan Didion writes, "We tell ourselves stories in order to live.

The American way, to quote Burger King, is to "have it your way," because, as Starbucks says, "happiness is in your choices."

In response, he gave me an even more courteous version of the same explanation.

But Joseph Brodsky said that, "It is poetry that is gained in translation," suggesting that translation can be a creative, transformative act.

In fact, some of the kids were visibly embarrassed when they were told that their mothers had been consulted.

They could either remove Barbara off the life support, in which case she would die within a matter of hours, or they could keep her on life support, in which case she might still die within a matter of days. if she survived, she would remain in a permanent vegetative state, never able to walk, talk or interact with others.

This suggests that whatever is beautiful and moving, whatever gives us a new way to see, cannot be communicated to those who speak a different language.

From my American perspective, when a paying customer makes a reasonable request based on her preferences, she has every right to have that request met.

Instead of replacing one story with another, we can learn from and revel in the many versions that exist and the many that have yet to be written.

And so one time I was in a beauty salon, and I was trying to decide between two very light shades of pink.

In fact, though all humans share a basic need and desire for choice, we don't all see choice in the same places or to the same extent.

They could either remove Barbara off the life support, in which case she would die within a matter of hours, or they could keep her on life support, in which case she might still die within a matter of days. if she survived, she would remain in a permanent vegetative state, never able to walk, talk or interact with others.

During the very first session, which was run in Russia, one of the participants made a comment that really caught me off guard.

As I do so, I hope you'll start thinking about some of your own assumptions and how they were shaped by your backgrounds.

My failure to procure myself a cup of sweet, green tea was not due to a simple misunderstanding.

People must choose for themselves, sometimes sticking to their guns, regardless of what other people want or recommend.

We all have physical, mental and emotional limitations that make it impossible for us to process every single choice we encounter, even in the grocery store, let alone over the course of our entire lives.

The first-generation children were strongly influenced by their immigrant parents' approach to choice.

One of the most interesting revelations came not from an answer to a question, but from a simple gesture of hospitality.

It is essential for success.

Let's face it: the way I wanted my tea was inappropriate according to cultural standards, and they were doing their best to help me save face.

Americans tend to believe that they've reached some sort of pinnacle in the way they practice choice.

The value of choice depends on our ability to perceive differences between the options.

We live entirely by the imposition of a narrative line upon disparate images, by the ideas with which we have learned to freeze the shifting phantasmagoria which is our actual experience."

(Murmuring) I was so struck by this comment that from then on I started to offer all the participants those seven sodas.

But do all individuals benefit from taking such an approach to choice?

When it comes to choice, we have far more to gain than to lose by engaging in the many translations of the narratives.

In her essay, "The White Album," Joan Didion writes, "We tell ourselves stories in order to live.

But let's start at the other end of the map in Kyoto, Japan, where I was living with a Japanese family while I was doing part of my dissertational research 15 years ago.

To insist that they choose independently, might actually compromise both their performance and their relationships.

And the one lady told me, "Well, you should definitely wear 'Ballet Slippers.'"

When asked, "What words and images do you associate with choice?"

(Laughter) Surprised by my insistence, the waiter took up the issue with the manager.

Another parent complained, "I feel as if they purposefully tortured me.

It didn't matter who did the choosing, if the task was dictated by another, their performance suffered.

From my American perspective, when a paying customer makes a reasonable request based on her preferences, she has every right to have that request met.

We live entirely by the imposition of a narrative line upon disparate images, by the ideas with which we have learned to freeze the shifting phantasmagoria which is our actual experience."

So I brought these two bottles of nail polish into the laboratory, and I stripped the labels off.

The second assumption which informs the American view of choice goes something like this.

You're blind.

(Laughter) In reality, the kids who were told what to do, whether by Miss Smith or their mothers, were actually given the very same activity, which their counterparts in the first group had freely chosen.

Another parent complained, "I feel as if they purposefully tortured me.

To insist that they choose independently, might actually compromise both their performance and their relationships.

Even up to a year later, American parents were more likely to express negative emotions, as compared to their French counterparts.

Robert Frost once said that, "It is poetry that is lost in translation."

We interpret what we see, select the most workable of the multiple choices.

This was due to a fundamental difference in our ideas about choice.

But Joseph Brodsky said that, "It is poetry that is gained in translation," suggesting that translation can be a creative, transformative act.

I don't mean to say that I want no choice, but many of these choices are quite artificial."

But it is a mistake to assume that everyone thrives under the pressure of choosing alone.

One night, when Susan was seven months pregnant, she started to experience contractions and was rushed to the emergency room.

Compare this to the die-hard devotion of many Americans, not just to a particular flavor of soda, but to a particular brand.

Americans tend to believe that they've reached some sort of pinnacle in the way they practice choice.

Or, you could say that the individual's preferences were shaped by the preferences of specific others.

We wondered: does this have an effect on how the parents cope with the loss of their loved one?

To insist that they choose independently, might actually compromise both their performance and their relationships.

Success was just as much about pleasing key figures as it was about satisfying one's own preferences.

In America, the primary locus of choice is the individual.

In all cases, the life support was removed, and the infants had died.

In all cases, the life support was removed, and the infants had died.

As I do so, I hope you'll start thinking about some of your own assumptions and how they were shaped by your backgrounds.

Americans themselves are discovering that unlimited choice seems more attractive in theory than in practice.

In other words, choice can develop into the very opposite of everything it represents in America when it is thrust upon those who are insufficiently prepared for it.

A sociologist from the Warsaw Survey Agency explained, "The older generation jumped from nothing to choice all around them.

When, in contrast, two or more individuals see their choices and their outcomes as intimately connected, then they may amplify one another's success by turning choosing into a collective act.

It leaves little room for interdependence or an acknowledgment of individual fallibility.

I'd like to discuss some of these assumptions and the problems associated with them.

One night, when Susan was seven months pregnant, she started to experience contractions and was rushed to the emergency room.

The assumption then that we do best when the individual self chooses only holds when that self is clearly divided from others.

For them, choice was not just a way of defining and asserting their individuality, but a way to create community and harmony by deferring to the choices of people whom they trusted and respected.

To examine this, let's go back to the U.S. and then hop across the pond to France.

It brings us that much closer to realizing the full potential of choice, to inspiring the hope and achieving the freedom that choice promises but doesn't always deliver.

One of the most interesting revelations came not from an answer to a question, but from a simple gesture of hospitality.

But it is a mistake to assume that everyone thrives under the pressure of choosing alone.

Unfortunately, these beliefs are based on assumptions that don't always hold true in many countries, in many cultures.

So I decided to do a little experiment.

During the very first session, which was run in Russia, one of the participants made a comment that really caught me off guard.

(Laughter) Well, since I couldn't have my tea the way I wanted it, I ordered a cup of coffee, which the waiter brought over promptly.

When the participants arrived for their interview I offered them a set of drinks, Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite -- seven, to be exact.

They had all suffered the same tragedy.

When someone can't see how one choice is unlike another, or when there are too many choices to compare and contrast, the process of choosing can be confusing and frustrating.

This narrative promises so much: freedom, happiness, success.

They were flooded with choice before they could protest that they didn't know how to swim.

The American way, to quote Burger King, is to "have it your way," because, as Starbucks says, "happiness is in your choices."

They were flooded with choice before they could protest that they didn't know how to swim.

Compare this to the die-hard devotion of many Americans, not just to a particular flavor of soda, but to a particular brand.

One of the most interesting revelations came not from an answer to a question, but from a simple gesture of hospitality.

Here, I interviewed people who were residents of formerly communist countries, who had all faced the challenge of transitioning to a more democratic and capitalistic society.

This narrative promises so much: freedom, happiness, success.

From my American perspective, when a paying customer makes a reasonable request based on her preferences, she has every right to have that request met.

And another parent said, "I feel as if I've played a role in an execution."

It brings us that much closer to realizing the full potential of choice, to inspiring the hope and achieving the freedom that choice promises but doesn't always deliver.

We do not need everything that is there."

A number of my studies have shown that when you give people 10 or more options when they're making a choice, they make poorer decisions, whether it be health care, investment, other critical areas.

In other words, choice can develop into the very opposite of everything it represents in America when it is thrust upon those who are insufficiently prepared for it.

A number of my studies have shown that when you give people 10 or more options when they're making a choice, they make poorer decisions, whether it be health care, investment, other critical areas.

Sheena, there is a detail about your biography that we have not written in the program book.

When the participants arrived for their interview I offered them a set of drinks, Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite -- seven, to be exact.

Such small differences in the way we administered the activity yielded striking differences in how well they performed.

And another parent said, "I feel as if I've played a role in an execution."

(Laughter)

For modern Americans who are exposed to more options and more ads associated with options than anyone else in the world, choice is just as much about who they are as it is about what the product is.

At times they don't even hold true at America's own borders.

It requires that everyone treat choice as a private and self-defining act.

They could either remove Barbara off the life support, in which case she would die within a matter of hours, or they could keep her on life support, in which case she might still die within a matter of days. if she survived, she would remain in a permanent vegetative state, never able to walk, talk or interact with others.

No matter where we're from and what your narrative is, we all have a responsibility to open ourselves up to a wider array of what choice can do, and what it can represent.

(Laughter) But from the Japanese perspective, it's their duty to protect those who don't know any better -- (Laughter) in this case, the ignorant gaijin -- from making the wrong choice.

In other words, choice can develop into the very opposite of everything it represents in America when it is thrust upon those who are insufficiently prepared for it.

For them, choice was not just a way of defining and asserting their individuality, but a way to create community and harmony by deferring to the choices of people whom they trusted and respected.

-- 15 million date possibilities now.

A sociologist from the Warsaw Survey Agency explained, "The older generation jumped from nothing to choice all around them.

Even up to a year later, American parents were more likely to express negative emotions, as compared to their French counterparts.

It is essential for success.

After a pause, the waiter said, "One does not put sugar in green tea."

Sheena Iyengar: Well, it's funny that you should ask that, because one of the things that's interesting about being blind is you actually get a different vantage point when you observe the way sighted people make choices.

Here, I interviewed people who were residents of formerly communist countries, who had all faced the challenge of transitioning to a more democratic and capitalistic society.

Compare this to the die-hard devotion of many Americans, not just to a particular flavor of soda, but to a particular brand.

Pretty soon, a lengthy discussion ensued, and finally the manager came over to me and said, "I am very sorry.

This is the only way to ensure that your preferences and interests will be most fully accounted for.

Instead of replacing one story with another, we can learn from and revel in the many versions that exist and the many that have yet to be written.

(Laughter) But from the Japanese perspective, it's their duty to protect those who don't know any better -- (Laughter) in this case, the ignorant gaijin -- from making the wrong choice.

Unfortunately, these beliefs are based on assumptions that don't always hold true in many countries, in many cultures.

Americans themselves are discovering that unlimited choice seems more attractive in theory than in practice.

My failure to procure myself a cup of sweet, green tea was not due to a simple misunderstanding.

Unfortunately, these beliefs are based on assumptions that don't always hold true in many countries, in many cultures.

(Laughter)

And what I wondered was whether they were being affected by the name or the contents of the color.

The first-generation children were strongly influenced by their immigrant parents' approach to choice.

If they had a concept of being true to one's self, then that self, most likely, was composed, not of an individual, but of a collective.

Such small differences in the way we administered the activity yielded striking differences in how well they performed.

In response, he gave me an even more courteous version of the same explanation.

"I'm aware of this custom.

My base of operations is in the U.S.

My failure to procure myself a cup of sweet, green tea was not due to a simple misunderstanding.

With this procedure, we were able to ensure that the kids across the three groups all did the same activity, making it easier for us to compare performance.

It requires that everyone treat choice as a private and self-defining act.

They think that choice as seen through the American lens best fulfills an innate and universal desire for choice in all humans.

But when the American parents were asked if they would rather have had the doctors make the decision, they all said, "No." They could not imagine turning that choice over to another, even though having made that choice made them feel trapped, guilty, angry.

On my first day, I went to a restaurant, and I ordered a cup of green tea with sugar.

But by now it's evident to everyone in this room.

The baby was delivered through a C-section, but Barbara suffered cerebral anoxia, a loss of oxygen to the brain.

They think that choice as seen through the American lens best fulfills an innate and universal desire for choice in all humans.

When I put out juice and water in addition to these seven sodas, now they perceived it as only three choices -- juice, water and soda.

Let's face it: the way I wanted my tea was inappropriate according to cultural standards, and they were doing their best to help me save face.

You will surely find the perfect match.

We all have physical, mental and emotional limitations that make it impossible for us to process every single choice we encounter, even in the grocery store, let alone over the course of our entire lives.

Let's test this assumption by heading over to Eastern Europe.

But it is a mistake to assume that everyone thrives under the pressure of choosing alone.

Sheena, there is a detail about your biography that we have not written in the program book.

Even up to a year later, American parents were more likely to express negative emotions, as compared to their French counterparts.

Unfortunately, these beliefs are based on assumptions that don't always hold true in many countries, in many cultures.

And as you just mentioned, there's lots of choices out there that are very visual these days.

We all have physical, mental and emotional limitations that make it impossible for us to process every single choice we encounter, even in the grocery store, let alone over the course of our entire lives.

But when the American parents were asked if they would rather have had the doctors make the decision, they all said, "No." They could not imagine turning that choice over to another, even though having made that choice made them feel trapped, guilty, angry.

Americans themselves are discovering that unlimited choice seems more attractive in theory than in practice.

A sociologist from the Warsaw Survey Agency explained, "The older generation jumped from nothing to choice all around them.

Such small differences in the way we administered the activity yielded striking differences in how well they performed.

These parents could not contemplate giving up the choice, because to do so would have gone contrary to everything they had been taught and everything they had come to believe about the power and purpose of choice.

A number of my studies have shown that when you give people 10 or more options when they're making a choice, they make poorer decisions, whether it be health care, investment, other critical areas.

"I'm aware of this custom.

The baby was delivered through a C-section, but Barbara suffered cerebral anoxia, a loss of oxygen to the brain.

Yet that is exactly what the American paradigm demands.

In fact, though all humans share a basic need and desire for choice, we don't all see choice in the same places or to the same extent.

It didn't matter who did the choosing, if the task was dictated by another, their performance suffered.

We all have physical, mental and emotional limitations that make it impossible for us to process every single choice we encounter, even in the grocery store, let alone over the course of our entire lives.

But when the American parents were asked if they would rather have had the doctors make the decision, they all said, "No." They could not imagine turning that choice over to another, even though having made that choice made them feel trapped, guilty, angry.

"I understand," I said, "that the Japanese do not put sugar in their green tea.

Right outside Chicago, a young couple, Susan and Daniel Mitchell, were about to have their first baby.

(Laughter) Surprised by my insistence, the waiter took up the issue with the manager.

Yet still, many of us believe that we should make all our own choices and seek out even more of them.

For them, choice was not just a way of defining and asserting their individuality, but a way to create community and harmony by deferring to the choices of people whom they trusted and respected.

I'd like to discuss some of these assumptions and the problems associated with them.

But it is not only other people in other places that are feeling the pressure of ever-increasing choice.

Moreover, Americans themselves could benefit from incorporating new perspectives into their own narrative, which has been driving their choices for so long.

We all have physical, mental and emotional limitations that make it impossible for us to process every single choice we encounter, even in the grocery store, let alone over the course of our entire lives.

In other words, choice can develop into the very opposite of everything it represents in America when it is thrust upon those who are insufficiently prepared for it.

In a study I conducted with Simona Botti and Kristina Orfali, American and French parents were interviewed.

During the very first session, which was run in Russia, one of the participants made a comment that really caught me off guard.

The story Americans tell, the story upon which the American dream depends is the story of limitless choice.

No single narrative serves the needs of everyone everywhere.

They think that choice as seen through the American lens best fulfills an innate and universal desire for choice in all humans.

And this does not lead to a paralyzing moral relativism.

(Laughter)

And what I wondered was whether they were being affected by the name or the contents of the color.

In France, the doctors decided whether and when the life support would be removed, while in the United States, the final decision rested with the parents.

Americans train their whole lives to play "spot the difference."

(Laughter) Surprised by my insistence, the waiter took up the issue with the manager.

(Laughter)

For modern Americans who are exposed to more options and more ads associated with options than anyone else in the world, choice is just as much about who they are as it is about what the product is.

Choice no longer offers opportunities, but imposes constraints.

For them, choice was not just a way of defining and asserting their individuality, but a way to create community and harmony by deferring to the choices of people whom they trusted and respected.

Mark Lepper and I did a series of studies in which we sought the answer to this very question.

Today, I'm going to take you around the world in 18 minutes.

And as you just mentioned, there's lots of choices out there that are very visual these days.

For them, choice was not just a way of defining and asserting their individuality, but a way to create community and harmony by deferring to the choices of people whom they trusted and respected.

In fact, though all humans share a basic need and desire for choice, we don't all see choice in the same places or to the same extent.