Intellectual Imprints #004 To choose or not to choose...

So here I am with my learnings from yet another book - The Art of Choosing: The Decisions We Make Everyday of our Lives by Sheena Iyengar. Every day we make choices. Coke or Pepsi? Save or spend? Stay or go? Whether mundane or life-altering, these choices define us and shape our lives. The author asks the difficult questions about how and why we choose: Is the desire for choice innate or bound by culture? Why do we sometimes choose against our best interests? How much control do we really have over what we choose?

I have created a list of 12 tenets that govern how we make a choice from the book. I hope these will help answer the questions raised in the introduction above. As always, I will try and bring them alive with examples from our daily life.

1. In order to choose we must first perceive that control is possible

In other words, how much choice we have is far less important than how much choice we feel we have.

So as an example let me take you back to Intriguing Insights #001.  The same situation, the same restrictions - some people choose to look at the lockdown as a cage, while others look at it as an opportunity. They treat it instead as a cocoon and will in all probability come out butterflies on the other side. 

Now to a vast majority with backgrounds like you or me, the choices we have are more a function of our interpretation of the situation rather than the situation itself.

2. Choice may vary by the degree of individualism and collectivism as governed by our culture

Quite simply this law suggests that the society we come from could have an influence on the way we choose. Do we first and foremost consider what is best for us while making a choice. Or does our decision depend on what will make us and those around us happy. Why our country makes any difference will come out quite clearly in this ranking created by researcher Geert Hofstede. This scale shows the level of individualism of the nation concerned. A higher score signifies a focus on self.

 

Now when we see India's score it shows the importance we place on family and relationships. No wonder than the the 'Share-a-Coke' campaign came to india with relationship names instead of individual names.

3. We want our choices to make us stand out yet fit in

We want our choices to make us stand out from the majority but not in a way that makes us part of a glairng lonely minority. I thought Maggi noodles managed to tap into this tenet quite effectively. Now we all know that amongst some audiences every one eats Maggi noodles especially when we look at the younger hostelites or those living alone. So while they are still fitting in with the rest... they are able to stand out by cooking their Maggi in their own special way. Something Maggi has used from time to time in its communication as well as on its packs.

4. We preemptively choose in a way that reinforces our identity

We have a certain image of ourselves in our head. Sometimes the choices we make reinforce these ideas and it makes it easier to make those choices. Various brands have used this to help make it easier for consumers to choose them over their competitors. Raymond's 'Complete Man' comes instantly to mind. Who doesn't want to see themselves as an all rounded personality. More recently 'Be remembered for Good' communication by 100 Pipers is also attempting the same thing.

  

The result of these choices is that our identity tends to become set over time and mored easily definable for those around us. 

5. We adjust our beliefs to bring them in line with choices we have made

We can't rewind time and take back what we have already done but we must resolve the conflict between our beliefs and our actions. Spotify recognised this conflict and brought it out in a number of ads in their global campaign last year.

6. Choosing is not a private activity but a social one

Choice not only requires us to think more deeply about who we are but also who we are in the eyes of others. Every choice we make adds back to our self image and also to the image people have of us. While all communication aims at helping us to create an external imagery through use of a brand. Some brands take a more direct approach in getting this message across. 

Pepsi comes to mind first. It has always been about being the choice of the younger generation. The latest communication again equates Pepsi drinkers with a youth swag... now that's certainly a choice that tells others who you are.

7. Age can move our choices from impulsive to rational

This has to do with the prefontal cortex in the brain which continues to develop way past adolesence. Kids and teens tend to therefore be more impulsive in their decision making. Often products that have to be consumed by kids but are purchsed by parents have to ensure they talk to both sets. Milk food drinks would be such example. With flavours taking to kids and their impulsive nature and the nutrient add-ons talking to the rational mind of the adult. 

8. Experiences and practice can help us choose with an 'informed intuition'

This captures the best of both worlds, the speed of a reflex with the objective benefits of careful consideration and analysis. My current favourite show and the CBS hit series NCIS has the lead, Special Agent Gibbs often relying on his gutt feeling to solve a case. All this tenet says is we shouldn't ignore this sixth sense as it is infact born from our past experiences and practices. 

9. More choice leads to less satisfaction or fulfillment

A fantastic variety seems to favour browsers over buyers. An experiment in the book brings this out beautifully. Referred to as the jam experiment it shows how people are more attracted to a larger choice of jams but purchase more when given the smaller range to choose from. The chart below brings this out clearly.

10. Recommendation and categorisation ease the burden of choosing

Let's start with recommendations. They make the decision in question easier by allowing us to borrow the knowledge of experts or crowds and also help us to develop our own expertise. The 'trust economy' and brands like Uber, Airbnb and many others depend on views and reviews of others for the very existence of their business models. 

Categorisaiton on the other hand makes choosing simpler by breaking down choices into smaller easier groups to choose from. Often one sees this in choosing laptops. Each aspect is divided into simpler choices. Prcessor, RAM, memory all are separate categories to choose from easily, rather than all bunched together in a single laptop purchase.

11. Elimination of freedom to choose leads to reactance

What this means is that when we believe we have the freedom to choose something and when that freedom is taken away we resist it. In the current schenario the lockdown has to be the best example to bring this out. Nobody has every told us where we can go and where we can't and hence the quarantine seems difficult for a lot of people. Even if we choose to stay indoors we do so grudgingly. 

12. Restrictions instead of prohibition of choice is acceptable

The example shared in the book is the best example to bring this point alive. It talks about 'Sin Taxes' - simply put these are taxes levied on the purchase of sinful products. Read cigarettes, alcohol, etc. While nobody wants to pay more for these - the acceptance is higher than one would expect as people are happy their usage is kept under a forced check. Surely if this tax becomes too high affordability would make it more of a prohibition than a restriction and thus make it objectionable.

Do hope this sheds lights on some of the choices you've made but found difficult to explain. If there are any examples or stories you would like to share on any of the above twelve tenets do leave them in the comments below.