https://summaryshelf.app/authors/barry-schwartz/Recent content in Barry Schwartz on SummaryShelfHugoen-usTue, 04 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://summaryshelf.app/paradox-of-choice/Tue, 04 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://summaryshelf.app/paradox-of-choice/<p>Barry Schwartz walked into the Gap for a pair of jeans and got a question back: slim fit, easy fit, relaxed fit, baggy, or extra baggy? Stonewashed, acid-washed, or distressed? Button-fly or zipper? He carried one of each into the dressing room and finally picked easy fit, because &ldquo;relaxed&rdquo; sounded like an admission he was going soft in the middle. The jeans fit better than any he had owned. Buying them had also eaten most of a day and come with a side of dread. That gap — better result, worse experience — is the argument. Some choice is essential. More choice is not automatically better. Past a certain point, added options stop liberating you and start grinding you down.</p>