Name: The art of choosing
Uploaded: 2010-07-26T08:36:00Z
Duration: 23 min 51 s
Description: Sheena Iyengar studies how we make choices -- and how we feel about the choices we make. At TEDGlobal, she talks about both trivial choices (Coke v. Pepsi) and profound ones, and shares her groundbreaking research that has uncovered some surprising attitudes about our decisions.

Sheena Iyengar: The art of choosing

The art of choosing

Sheena Iyengar studies how we make choices -- and how we feel about the choices we make. At TEDGlobal, she talks about both trivial choices (Coke v. Pepsi) and profound ones, and shares her groundbreaking research that has uncovered some surprising attitudes about our decisions.

The power and perception of choice are deeply shaped by culture and context. Americans often see individual choice as essential, but experiments reveal that some cultures value collective or guided decision-making. When overwhelmed with too many options—like seven sodas offered in Eastern Europe or critical medical decisions—people may feel anxiety, regret, or even paralysis instead of liberation. True agency emerges not from sheer quantity, but from meaningful, well-understood choices tailored to our backgrounds and needs.