Psychology
People more satisfied with irreversible decisions despite optimization culture prioritizing keeping options open
Modern Wisdom
Why You Feel Overwhelmed All The Time (and how to fix it) - David Epstein
"There's research that shows people are more satisfied with irreversible decisions than reversible ones. And yet modern optimization culture, decision theory a lot of the time if it doesn't have a psychological informed view specifically seek reversible decisions. I think it often can be, especially when it becomes an end to itself. Like I can't tell you how many people including my peers who will be talking about a decision and they'll start talking about optionality and which one preserves optionality."
Research demonstrates people are happier with decisions they cannot reverse, yet modern decision-making culture obsesses over preserving optionality. Epstein argues that keeping options open has become an end in itself, leading people to 'slide versus decide' in relationships and careers, sleepwalking into commitments without ever truly choosing. This misalignment between what makes us happy and what optimization culture prescribes leads to worse outcomes.
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Modern Wisdom