Friday, February 5, 2010

The Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar

I remember a TV documentary where Stephen Hawking’s sister said that her brother’s Lou Gehrig’s disease actually helped Hawking in developing many of his theories, because Hawking couldn’t write his computations, and thereby performed many mental 3D models.

Though not in the same league as Hawking, the Iyengar’s findings are comparable in distinctive perspective and findings—out of the box, so to say. Iyengar is blind, works in social sciences which is primarily visual observations testing. Best social-science-psychology book I’ve read in 3 years.

The other reviews here will describe what the book is about, so, I’ll add my two cents on why it’s valuable and what I perceive it’s weaknesses are.

Iyengar writes about choice and happiness—choice meaning about the same as freedom, liberty and the right to pursue happiness. Her primary question is is happiness successfully pursued this way—lots of choices? Iyengar describes cultures that are lesser-individuals’ choiced--more collective-decision-making or authoritarian, and explains that in these, happiness is attained by lesser choice. For example, is arranged marriage (no choice) or dating marriages (choice) better in producing happiness for the individuals and for its society?

Because the Iyengar is an Indian woman, this arranged or free choice marriage question was likely one she thought about extensively. Iyengar expands on this question to further research on the implications of more or less choices on other personal daily actions. Her questions on the decision processes of more or less choices has major implications for anyone visiting from a collective to a free-choice culture or vice-versa, and her work is the best explanation of its implications I’ve ever read.

Additionally, by bringing presenting the problem of choice (I hadn’t even fully understand that this was a serious problem), Iyengar points out, accurately, that choice has a cost, and understanding this helps anyone’s life.

Now the downside of her work. The problem in this book has to do with, in my opinion, that the author doesn’t fathom how drives affect choices much. In another word, her questions are—do more or less choices able to produce happiness, instead of, how drives affect choices. Her answers to choices involve expanding the use of reasoning when making choices. However, my belief is that the drivers of choices are more emotional.

A 5 star for an unmatched book that will stretch one’s thinking and also change the way you do things daily.

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