WARNING:

This blog may cause irrational feelings of anger, stress and anxiety. Do not worry, just grab a coffee, relax, and continue to read.

"All I really wanted was a regular black coffee . . ."

We have all seen, tasted and smelt the alluring liquid that is Coffee. According to the Oxford Dictionary the word Coffee is defined as “A hot drink made from the roasted and ground bean-like seeds of a tropical shrub”. To many people a coffee is a necessity to start the day (and to reach the end of the day!); and luckily we have had an abundance of coffee shops springing up all over our high-streets to feed our need for coffee. From Starbucks to Costa Coffee, you can easily find a smiling barista serving your cup of jo. However, coffee shops are not all warm, loving and welcoming as you once thought. Coffee shops are a pit of despair, stress and regret; they are a consumer’s nightmare!

The Nightmare

A couple of mornings back I was at Utrecht Train station (Netherlands) and was planning to catch the 5:00am train. At that time in the morning I was feeling pretty tired and thought a nice coffee would soon perk me up; I found a Starbucks. As I meandered up to the counter, avoiding the tables and chairs, I was greeted with “Good morning, what could I get you today?” As I smiled, and gazed up at the menu board, a great feeling of hopelessness suddenly overwhelmed me; what coffee do I get? My eyes kept on scanning words like “macchiato” but all I got back from my brain was the sound of a buzzing fly! But then my saviour arrived – a big poster with a picture of a cup advertised as a “Toffee Nut Latte”. Immediately I managed to dribble out the word “A Toffee Nut Late, please”. The first test was over.

However, to add to the dilemma of the coffee choice I was next confronted by another question “What size would you like?” I quickly scanned the size chart on the counter. The available sizes were short, tall, grande and venti; the overload of information starts to become an unnecessary stress on my brain (especially at 5:00am!). I completely ignored all the guidelines and just said “medium, please”.

After rubbing the sweat off of my palms I grabbed my Toffee Nut Late and headed to the right platform. I took my first sip, and then sighed; all I really wanted was a regular black coffee . . .

The Paradox – Choice Overload

While it is a common assumption that variety is what attracts people in making a choice, the overabundance of options may sometimes result in negative consequences. The effects can be observed in the Starbucks predicament I presented earlier; these include lack of motivation to choose, increase in stress and anxiety and the potential for regret. This behavioural phenomenon is referred to as “choice overload”.

Choice overload is a behavioural bias that occurs when there are too many choices present, for a particular decision; making it more difficult to evaluate and decide. It is the curse of too many options.

"we all experience choice overload and it is a bias we must all learn to live with"

A study by Iyengar and Lapper (2000), at Columbia University, designed a series of experiments specifically to look at the effects of choice overload. In one study the researchers set up a tasting table of jams at the entrance of a supermarket. The tasting table either displayed a set of six jams or a large group of 24 jams. Customers who tasted jams were then given a $1 coupon off any of the jams displayed.

What the researchers discovered from this “jam” themed experiment was interesting.

30% of all customers who saw the small group of six jams actually proceeded to buy a jar of jam. However, in the 24 jam group, only 3% of people used to coupon and bought a jar of jam. This is significant evidence of the negative effects of choice overload, too much choice. The researchers stated that these results occurred due to choice overload decreasing the motivation of the customers to make a final choice.

So, next time you are presented with a large variety of choice just stop and think; what is your current state of mind? Do you feel pressured to make a decision? Would you rather just walk away? Unfortunately, we all experience choice overload and it is a bias we must all learn to live with. However, just by knowing that choice overload exists is the first step to preventing it.

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