Is choice a good thing?

Question

Does having a choice make us happy? Or were we happier when we knew there was less choice? Do we have no choice but to naturally create choices?!

Answer 1

If we did not have choice, we would not exist. To make a choice is to decide. Life is nothing more than a series of decisions. Even to not decide is to decide.

Answer 2

Well having the freedom to choose is certainly preferable to having no choice. However, when there are too many choices, we can feel stressed, overwhelmed and have a difficult time deciding. Life certainly would be more simple sometimes if our choices (such as brands in a grocery store) were more limited. It is easier when you don't have to think or make a decision, just grab what's there. Of course, the more choice you have, the more selective you can be and can opt for a better quality option, but sometimes it seems to just create unnecessary confusion.

Choice is good but you can have too much of a good thing! Some menus, for example, don't give you enough choice (usually stuffy upscale restaurants that only offer a few pretentious & intimidating options) while others offer far too many choices (several pages of items offering everything under the sun & it all sounds good & you have a hard time picking one!)

Life is filled with choices & there is really no way around it. Some are inconsequential & we can make these easily & thoughtlessly. Others are more important (love & career choices for example) and require more time & consideration because they could have a lasting impact on our lives. Sometimes we're afraid to choose & postpone the decision or will stay in a rut rather than choose to leave it. Sometimes we let things "choose" us. They just fall in our laps & we settle for them. Even this is a choice. Even choosing not to choose is a choice...and there are always consequences to your action (or inaction).

Is choice a good thing? Yes. Is it an easy thing? No.

Answer 3

It depends what the choice is and the reasons why the choice could possibly be taken away. People can make stupid decisions and ruin they're lives, but even good decisions made for you can make you miserable as you felt you had no control.
Most of the time people would prefer to have a choice, and are more likely to be happy as they couldn't blame others for poor choices, but then again lots of the time people also wish they didn't have to choose.
It depends what the choice is.

Answer 4

Having been fortunate to spend time with people in extreme poverty in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, it is my observation that "choice" is often the definition of "luxury". It is also at the heart of frustration--if not unhappiness. People with fewer choices seem to find happiness in fewer things, while people with many choices, especially due to economic status, seem to wallow in their options. While there are certainly perceived and real benefits of having choices, I submit that a gift worth $1,000 causes much less stress in a person's life than a $1,000 gift certificate. On the one hand is likely gratitude; on the other is uncertainty and anxiety about how to get the most bang for the 1,000 bucks.
But that's just me. I could be wrong.

Answer 5

From the very young age , the ability to handle a "choice" trains us towards excercising greater control over other choices we should be making in life. A young kid finds it very difficult to choose between a Butterscotch and a strawberry icecream . If she/he makes a bad chioce it learns to think next time. When they complete High school their choice to select the next stream of education would be easier, with more such choice making practice.

The nature itself exercises choice all the time and we cannot be an exception.

Answer 6

With choice comes mistakes, low self esteem, and inequality. Most of the time, choice is based on luck. We hope we made the right choice, often we didn't and that bad choice comes back to haunt us. If people were honest, choice would be a good thing. But sad to say, most people aren't honest, thus our decisions could be easily manipulated.

Answer 7

Well, that's a good question. If someone makes all of our choices for us, then we say the other person is controlling and overbearing. On the other hand, if we have to make all the choices about EVERYTHING then we can feel overwhelmed and put-upon. A happy medium would be ideal. To have a partner who is a true partner to balance and support you would be a real good thing.

Answer 8

We are happier to have some sort of a choice. Nobody likes to be told what to do all of the time and so we are happier when we have choices from time to time.

Answer 9

Well, you do have a choice to be happy. Or to be sad. It's your choice and yours alone.

And i can see you thinking of that matrix thing. (yes, i can see you thinking @_@)

"You've already made the choice. You're just here to understand why you made it."

If you don't make a choice, time will catch up with you, and you will have no options left. Therefore, always catch every opportunity in your life, and use it to your highest potential. Even the smallest things requie attention.

Answer 10

Yes, I believe our choices determine our happiness or sadness.
As kids, we didn't have big choices to make, our parents made them for us because we could not make good choices..
As we got older, say in kindergarten, we could choose what clothes to wear and it was great!!
It was as simple as "Which shoes do you want to wear today"....
Later in life our choices become larger and some of our choices can be very dangerous or hurtful..
Blessings~