Name: Choice, happiness and spaghetti sauce
Uploaded: 2006-09-19T00:11:00Z
Duration: 17 min 16 s
Description: "Tipping Point" author Malcolm Gladwell gets inside the food industry's pursuit of the perfect spaghetti sauce -- and makes a larger argument about the nature of choice and happiness.

Malcolm Gladwell: Choice, happiness and spaghetti sauce

Choice, happiness and spaghetti sauce

"Tipping Point" author Malcolm Gladwell gets inside the food industry's pursuit of the perfect spaghetti sauce -- and makes a larger argument about the nature of choice and happiness.

Happiness is not about finding a single perfect choice but about recognizing the wide range of what people truly want. The revolution in spaghetti sauce happened when a food scientist realized there was no one ideal flavor, leading to the creation of extra-chunky varieties that earned $600 million for Prego. Focus groups and surveys failed to uncover hidden preferences because most people cannot articulate their real desires. By segmenting products to match diverse tastes, the food industry unlocked both satisfaction and success.