The Choice Effect

The Choice Effect – Amalia McGibbon, Lara Vogel, and Claire A.Williams

Each generation is slightly different from that of its parents, hopefully in a different-better way rather than a different-awful way. Throughout the 20th century, each generation grew up with more and more choices, opportunities and freedoms until we ended up with us, generation Y. Generation Y, having been told in their informative years that they are capable of anything and can do and have it all if they just put their mind to it, is now paralyzed by choice. Our choices cover everything from what do to for a living, where to live, how to live, and who to live with, and moreover, we want it all to mean something. If we’re not entirely happy, what’s the point? Find the next choice that might bring you something better. The biggest impact this life of whims has is on significant and long-term relationships. Everything gets pushed back and taken less seriously because “choisters” (as the authors refer to generation Y) make the ultimate sacrifice in closing off their choices by picking one thing. However, after some research, some less-than-concrete polling, and several conversations full of anecdotes, it seems that the choisters, despite wanting everything in a slightly different way than their parents, still end up in the same old story line – steady job, spouse, kids, property, etc. They just don’t get there til later in life.

“The Choice Effect” is a pop psychology/sociology book looking why a specific population segment (women in their 20s and 30s) acts the way it does. Although they do discuss everything from job options to living arrangements (not only type of housing but also the international location) to nail polish colors, everything always comes back to the significant other, which is a fair point considering something like 96% of Americans end up married, so it is heavily impacted by the “choister” lifestyle, but I still felt rather sheepish taking this book off the shelf with the subtitle “Love and Commitment in the Age of Too Many Options”. I was surprised by how well I related to the book overall (do you think you’re special? Do you want it all? Do you have trouble setting priorities because everything is equally important?), and was constantly thinking of my mom telling me to “stop looking for the best peanut in the bag!” Fair point. But I was a little disappointed that they didn’t give me some magical solution for all my indecisiveness. Glad to hear it should settle down by the time I’m 40, but what to do in the mean time? Have another adventure, I guess.

I felt that “The Choice Effect” was a little heavy on the pop and not so much on the psychology. The entire book read like a slightly polished journal entry (something that could be printed for guilty pleasure in “Cosmo” or some magazine like that), and I was expecting a little bit more academic writing from a researched book. They made so many pop culture references (it was printed in 2010) that I didn’t recognize everything (although Ross and Rachel are timeless), and the tone was so conversational that I think it would have been easier as an audio book rather than reading it. Still, I really enjoyed reading it – I love that they sympathize about how hard my life is because I have so many options! Not many other people will take pity on me for that 