How Spa Management Software makes your Life Easier

Studies have shown that a multitude of options, such as in the case of a spa menu, can lead to choice overload, reducing decision quality. Having more choices is generally considered a good thing-until you actually have to put it into practice.

Researchers say that's when the frustration of picking one thing from dozens of options can take over and lead to choice overload.

“Standard economic theory will tell you that more choice is always better,” says Tibor Besedes, associate professor of economics at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “Theoretically, that works out, but when you have to apply it, that's very different. When you give people a lot of options, they can get bogged down and, at some level, become unwilling to consider anything because it just gets too complicated.”

Professor of social theory Barry Schwartz in his book The Paradox of Choice, believes, “If we're rational, added options can only make us better off as a society. This view is logically compelling, but empirically it isn't true.”

Consider jeans. Once there was only one kind, says Schwartz - the ill-fitting sort that, fingers-crossed, would get less ill-fitting once he wore and washed them repeatedly. Now, what with all the options (stone-washed, straight-leg, boot-fit, distressed, zip fly, button fly, slightly distressed, very distressed, kneeholed, thigh-holed, knee and thigh-holed, pretty much all holes and negligible denim), Schwartz feels entitled to expect that there is a perfect pair of jeans for him. Inevitably, though, when he leaves the store, he is likely to be less satisfied now than when there were hardly any options. Schwartz's suggestion is that, at a certain point, choice shifts from having a positive relationship with happiness to an inverse one. So, what's the answer? “The secret to happiness is low expectations,” he says, sensibly.

Decision-makers in large choice situations enjoy the decision process more than those with smaller choice sets, but feel more responsible for their decisions.

Despite this, more choices result with more dissatisfaction and regret in decisions.

The chooser can feel both enjoyment as well as feel overwhelmed with their choices. These opposing emotions contribute to cognitive dissonance, and causes the chooser to feel less motivated to make a decision.

The amount of time allocated to make a decision also has an effect on an individual's perception of their choice. Larger choice sets with a small amount of time results in more regret with the decision. When more time is provided, the process of choosing is more enjoyable and results in less regret after the decision has been made.

Choice overload is reversed when people choose for another person - overload is context dependent: choosing from many alternatives by itself is not demotivating. Evidence shows there is a different regulatory focus in decisionmaking when choosing for others.

When making personal decisions, a prevention focus is activated and people are more satisfied with their choices after choosing among few options compared to many options, i.e. choice overload. However, individuals experience a reverse choice overload effect when acting as proxy decision-makers. Over Choice In An Economic Setting

The psychological phenomenon of over choice can most often be seen in economic situations. Having more choices appears to be appealing initially, but too many choices can make decisions more difficult. Having too many choices can result in consumer's being indecisive, unhappy, and even refrain from making the purchase at all.

Alvin Toffler noted that as the choice turns to over choice, "freedom of more choices" ironically becomes the opposite-the "unfreedom".

Existence of over choice, both perceived and real, is supported by studies as early as the mid-1970s. Numbers of various brands, from soaps to cars, have been steadily rising for over half a century. In just one example-different brands of soap and detergents-the numbers of choices offered by an average US supermarket went from 65 in 1950, through 200 in 1963, to over 360 in 2004. The more choices tend to increase the time it requires to make a decision. What Helps You Deal With Choice Overload?

Tesco CEO Dave Lewis decided to scrap 30,000 of the 90,000 products from Tesco's shelves. This was, in part, a response to the growing market shares of Aldi and Lidl, which only offer between 2,000 and 3,000 lines. For instance, Tesco used to offer 28 tomato ketchups while in Aldi there is just one in one size.

What Lewis is doing to Tesco is revolutionary. Not just because he recognises that customers are time constrained, but because he realises that increased choice can be bad for you and, worse, result in business losses that upset his shareholders.

Many people tend to avoid making new decisions by sticking with their first choice-even when offered potentially better options.

The phenomenon of over choice occurs when many equivalent choices are available. Making a decision becomes overwhelming due to the many potential outcomes and risks that may result from making the wrong choice.

Having too many equally good options is mentally draining because each option must be weighed against alternatives to select the best one.

Many reasons for the increased options can be attributed to the Internet. In today's society we have easy access to more information, products and opportunities.

Choice overload is not a problem in all cases. When the choice-maker has a preference, the amount of options has little impact on the final decision and satisfaction.

1. Ask what you'll really achieve if you keep your options as open as possible. 2. Cast your net small and decide your limit on where you'll shop/search/compare. If you're buying insurance, choose one or two comparison websites at the most. If you're finding a new gym, pick three in the locality to look at and leave it at that.

3. Unless your budget is extremely tight and every penny counts, stop worrying about saving just a small amount of money. It's rarely going to be that much, or worth the stress you cause yourself in order to save it.

4. Once you've made your decision, stick with it. Don't allow yourself a “safety net” of being able to take it back or swap just because you've changed your mind. Know that this is the right choice for you, right now.

5. Let the other “choices” go. Whether it was a new sofa or an outfit, don't dwell on how wonderful the things you didn't choose might have been. And don't regret not choosing them.

6. Ask: do you really need it anyway? If you already own several pairs of shoes, how will another pair affect your happiness? Focus on what adds meaning to your life, rather than material gain.

7. Trust yourself. You know what you really need, and what is right for you. Be happy with your choice when you've made it, and know that the world will not explode if, by the slightest chance, this was the wrong choice.