Or maybe you've found yourself totally stuck in a cereal aisle because you just can't decide what will make you happier— the granola with pecans and maple, or the one with cashews and honey.

或者，也許你發現自己完全陷入了貨架上的麥片困境，因為你無法決定什麼能讓你更快樂——是山核桃和楓樹的格蘭諾拉麥片，還是腰果和蜂蜜的麥片。

Situations like this are becoming more and more common as all kinds of products target people's specific tastes

隨著各種產品針對人們的特定口味，這樣的情況變得越來越普遍。

And while having lots of choices might sound like a great idea, research has found that, actually, having lots of choices won't always make you as happy as you'd think.

雖然有很多選擇聽起來像是一個好主意，但研究發現，實際上，有很多選擇並不總是讓你像你想像的那樣快樂。

There really can be too much choice!

確實會有太多的選擇！

Take your cereal aisle situation.

就拿挑選貨架上的麥片為例。

That's an example of what's called "choice overload," also known as "the paradox of choice."

這是所謂的「選擇過載」的一個例子，也稱為「選擇悖論」。

It's what happens when you have so many options that having to choose puts a damper on your experience.

當你有如此多的選擇時，就會發生這種情況，以至於必須做出選擇會影響你的體驗。

And psychology research has shown that choice overload isn't just frustrating—it can really influence how you act.

心理學研究表明，選擇過多不僅令人沮喪，而且確實會影響你的行為。

For example, in one study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 2000, researchers from Columbia and Stanford set up a table of jam samples in a grocery store in California.

例如，在 2000 年《人格與社會心理學雜誌》上發表的一項研究中，哥倫比亞大學和史丹佛大學的研究人員在加州的一家雜貨店裡設置了一張果醬試吃表。

They were trying to see what setup would entice the most customers to make a purchase.

他們試圖了解什麼樣的設定可以吸引最多的客戶購買。

On one Sunday, they offered only six samples.

一個週日，他們只提供了六樣試吃品。

On another Sunday, they offered 24.

另一個週日，他們提供了 24 樣。

On both days, people who dropped by typically sampled just one or two jars of jam.

這兩天，路過的人通常只品嚐一兩罐果醬。

But the larger display— on the second Sunday—drew more visitors.

但第二個星期日舉行的更大規模的試吃吸引了更多參觀者。

Except, there was one thing.

不過，有一件事。

Only three percent of those customers actually bought jam after sampling it.

只有百分之三的顧客在品嚐果醬後真的購買了果醬。

On the other hand, almost a third of customers who visited the smaller display—the one on the first Sunday—bought something afterward.

另一方面，幾乎三分之一參觀較小試吃品數（第一個星期日的試吃）的顧客隨後購買了一些東西。

The researchers concluded that, although customers were more attracted to the larger display, the overwhelming amount of choice actually discouraged them from picking one jam to buy.

研究人員得出的結論是，儘管顧客更喜歡更多的試吃數量，但過多的選擇實際上阻止了他們挑選一種果醬購買。

Of course, it's not like people don't want to make choices at all.

當然，人們並不是根本不想做出選擇。

Another study reported in the same paper looked at what amount of choice gave people the most satisfaction.

同一篇論文中報導的另一項研究著眼於多少選擇可以讓人最滿意。

In this case, psychologists offered chocolate to groups of university students.

在這種情況下，心理學家向大學生群體提供巧克力。

In one group, students got to choose one chocolate out of six.

在一組中，學生必須從六種巧克力中選擇一種。

In a second group, students could choose one out of 30.

在第二組中，學生可以從 30 種裡選擇一種。

And in a third group, the students had no choice at all—the researchers just handed them a chocolate.

在第三組中，學生根本別無選擇——研究人員只是遞給他們一塊巧克力。

In each case, the students were asked to eat and rate the chocolate.

在每種情況下，學生都被要求吃巧克力並對巧克力進行評分。

According to what they reported, the students who were asked to choose one chocolate from six enjoyed their choice the most.

根據他們的報告，被要求從六種巧克力中選擇一種的學生最喜歡他們的選擇。

Those who chose out of 30 chocolates were less satisfied.

那些從 30 種巧克力中選擇的人不太滿意。

But the group that had no choice at all reported the least satisfaction with what they were given.

但根本別無選擇的那組人對他們所得到的東西表示最不滿意。

Both of these studies showed that people want choice, but those with too much choice are generally less satisfied than those with a more limited choice.

這兩項研究都表明，人們想要選擇，但選擇太多的人通常比選擇有限的人更不滿意。

And researchers think that comes down to two main issues:

研究人員認為這可以歸結為兩個主要問題：

The first is that when we have more choices, we have higher expectations.

首先，當我們有更多選擇時，我們就會有更高的期望。

We tend to think that with more choices, we can get closer to the thing we really want.

我們傾向於認為，有了更多的選擇，我們就能更接近我們真正想要的東西。

Which means it's easier to be disappointed.

這意味著更容易失望。

The second is that when we have more things to choose from, we also end up with more regret, because we're more likely to look back and wonder if one of the other choices would have been better.

第二個是，當我們有更多的東西可供選擇時，我們最終也會感到更多的遺憾，因為我們更有可能回顧過去並想知道其他選擇是否會更好。

But even though having more choice won't actually improve our lives, studies have found that some people will go out of their way to have more options, because they assume it'll make them happier.

但儘管擁有更多的選擇實際上並不能改善我們的生活，但研究發現，有些人會不遺餘力地擁有更多的選擇，因為他們認為這會讓他們更快樂。

For example, a 2009 article in the journal Personality and Individual Differences described a study in which psychologists surveyed people at two ice cream parlors in Vancouver.

例如，《人格與個體差異》雜誌 2009 年的一篇文章描述了一項研究，其中心理學家對溫哥華兩家冰淇淋店的人們進行了​​調查。

One was in a downtown area that was easy to walk to but had fewer selections.

其中一個位於市中心，步行即可輕鬆到達，但選擇較少。

Another was a car ride away, but offered more flavors.

另一個距離一段車程，但提供更多口味。

The researchers found that many people who wanted to make the best possible choice went to the place with the bigger menu.

研究人員發現，許多想要做出最佳選擇的人都會選擇菜單數量較多的地方。

But they reported less satisfaction with their choices than similar customers at the simpler, local parlor.

但他們對自己的選擇的滿意度低於在當地較簡單的冰淇淋店購買的顧客。

Unfortunately, these days, it's hard to completely avoid choice overload, especially if you live somewhere with a high focus on consumerism.

不幸的是，如今，很難完全避免選擇過多，尤其是如果你」住在高度關注消費主義的地方。

You're bombarded with choices all of the time—like when you buy groceries, or pick out your clothes, or look for a 401k plan.

你一直面臨著各種選擇的轟炸，例如當你購買雜貨、挑選衣服或尋找 401k 計劃時。

And since the decisions you make in an instant can affect the rest of your life, it's worth knowing that you may not make your best decisions when you're overwhelmed with options.

由於你瞬間做出的決定可能會影響你的餘生，因此值得知道的是，當你面臨眾多選擇時，你可能無法做出最佳決定。

You might not be able to change that, but you can make other changes in your life.

你可能無法改變這一點，但你可以在生活中做出其他改變。

At the very least, you can remember that going out of your way to have more choices won't always make you happier.

至少，你要記住，不遺餘力地獲得更多選擇並不總是會讓你更快樂。

Thanks for watching this episode of SciShow!

感謝收看本期 SciShow！

And thanks especially to our patrons on Patreon, who make it possible for us to keep putting out videos like this.

特別感謝 Patreon 上的贊助人，他們使我們能夠繼續發布這樣的影片。

It takes a lot of people to make a SciShow video, and we couldn't do it without your help!

製作 SciShow 影片需要很多人，沒有你們的幫助我們就無法完成！

If you're interested in learning how you can support SciShow, head to patreon.comSciShow.

如果您有興趣了解如何支持 SciShow，請訪問 patreon.comSciShow。