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Running head: CHOICE CONGESTION 1

Choice Congestion

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CHOICE CONGESTION 2

Introduction

Daily, people living in the modern society encounter high levels of activity and choices,

which requires that they decide the options to take and often regret the choices made. According

to Shiraev and Levy (2015), the phenomenon of having so many choices and actions to choose

from is called choice congestion. The high load of choices to make overloads individuals and

that makes them feel frustrated. However, the frustration is more common whenever the

individual makes the decisions or choices that turn out to be wrong and lead to adverse

outcomes. As an example, whenever a person makes the wrong decision during the purchase of a

car, and they end up with a color they did not prefer, they may experience the frustration caused

by guilt for months or years (Ariel, 2014). In the modern society, the causes of psychological

frustration are more common than in the traditional culture. Common sources include second-

guessing a vital life choice such as the career to take, the size and color of a dress purchased, or

the road that one takes, especially when they encounter traffic congestion that delays them for

hours. According to Das and Kerr (2010), it is essential to learn about choice congestion and the

psychological problems it triggers, which can be reduced by making better decisions about

important issues. This report explores the phenomenon of choice congestion and the

psychological issues it triggers such as the frustration experienced for days, weeks, months, or

years in some cases.

Background to the Problem of Choice Congestion

Learning about the causes of frustration and regret calls for understanding the ways the

inherent experience of regret and frustration work, and also the external factors and

circumstances that affect the levels experienced. According to Pieters and Zeelenberg (2007),

some behaviors increase the levels of choice congestion by causing distractions, and that may

CHOICE CONGESTION 3

increase the levels of regret and frustration experienced after making a wrong decision or choice.

As an example, being distracted on the phone while shopping for clothes or groceries increases

the individual levels of regret after making the wrong choice of products. Ariel (2014) explains

that the high levels of regret result from the person’s awareness that their distracted nature

contributed to the outcome of making the wrong purchase. Further, many of the other

disturbances that people face on a daily basis increase the risks that they will make the wrong

decisions and choices, and that increases the levels of frustration and the resultant psychological

problems they suffer afterward (Shiraev & Levy, 2015). The most common psychological

problem that results from choice congestion is depression, especially where the decision has a

long-term impact. Through learning about the reality of choice congestion and the factors that

lead to making the wrong choices and decisions, the modern man can cultivate the skills needed

to improve their choices.

The Concept of Choice Congestion in the Modern Culture and Society

The phenomenon of choice congestion is best understood through exploring the literature

that covers the various aspects and working of the human memory. The human memory works in

three stages, including the sensory, working, and long-term memory functions. According to

Ariel (2014), sensory memory is responsible for processing the short-lived inputs that come from

the five senses. On the other hand, the long-term memory function is responsible for storing

information for long periods of time, especially the knowledge that is gained during highly

emotional encounters or given a lot of attention. As an example, the information about the dream

house that a person wishes to buy a year or two later is kept in the long-term memory, due to the

emotional energy backing the information. Working memory is the medium-term function of the

memory and it is responsible for temporarily storing and manipulating the knowledge and

CHOICE CONGESTION 4

information needed to perform complex cognitive roles such as learning, language production

and comprehension, and reasoning (Ariel, 2014). The working memory function is also the

medium that processes the sensory signals and interactions between the individual and the

immediate environment, which allows for the storage of some of the information in the long-

term memory.

Choice congestion is best explained using the cognitive load theory. The theory was

fashioned by the scientists exploring the idea of whether people’s information process capacity

can be improved through the conscious understanding and manipulation of external

circumstances such as the effects of distractions (Ariel, 2014). Choice congestion, which refers

to high cognitive loads, also influences an individual’s ability to learn new information and to

reach informed decisions. There are two primary forms of choice congestion. They include

intrinsic congestion, which arises from the complexity of a task, and extraneous congestion,

which is triggered by receiving and encountering wrong or unclear instructions (Schnotz &

Kürschner, 2007). As an example, one intrinsic congestion scenario is encountering a very

complex mathematics problem during an examination, while extraneous congestion would result

from lacking a clear understanding of the instructions provided for the test question. According

to Schnotz and Kürschner (2007), before the 1990s, the cognitive load theory was limited to the

study of instructional models in the field of education and teaching. However, the theory recently

gained usage among the experts researching explanations for phenomena such as choice

congestion, which is a common occurrence in the modern society and culture.

With the understanding of the concept of choice congestion and the applicability of the

cognitive load theory to studying it; the next step is exploring the mechanisms that trigger choice

congestion in people. The decision strategies employed by individuals are categorized into two

CHOICE CONGESTION 5

main areas, including similarity-based and rule-based decision making (Juslin, Karlsson, &

Olsson, 2008). Similarity-based decisions are based on the shallow analysis of a decision to

check that it fits into a known or existing decision framework. In contrast, rule-based choices are

based on the use of the rules needed to ensure that the individual reaches the decision in an

informed manner and the process leads to a specific decision. Von Helversen, Mata, and Olsson

(2010) notes that in everyday life, people use one of the two decision-making strategies

depending on the surrounding context. As an example, when shopping for toothpaste, the buyer

is likely to choose the brand they used and found appropriate for them in the past, or refer to

existing decisions sources such as the information provided by advertising campaigns for leading

brands. However, the encounter with a phenomenon that an individual has not encountered in the

past, and which there is no easily accessible information on the options to take, it is crucial that

the decision is based on specific rules (Das & Kerr, 2010). During the purchase of a car, the rules

applied may include the brands to buy due to their reliability record, or the expected fuel

economy, since failing to consider the essential rules will lead to frustration after the purchase.

Irrespective of the decision-making strategy used or applied to a scenario; it is crucial that

an individual considers the effects of the decisions they make. For instance, when deciding to

buy one of two care brands that are known to be reliable and to offer excellent fuel economy, it is

crucial that the individual employs rule-based decision making for some considerations (Ariel,

2014). The relevant considerations include the use of the car and the experiences they wish to

have during the ownership of the vehicle. The considerations that are best addressed using the

rule-based decision making includes whether a hatchback or a sedan is more appropriate for their

frequent use and whether the dimensions of the car will fit in their garage. The example indicates

that, despite the choice congestion that characterizes the modern society and community, people

CHOICE CONGESTION 6

can reduce the experiences of the frustration and psychological suffering that result from making

decisions ignorantly (Das & Kerr, 2010). As an example, if the car buyer purchases a car that

does not fit in their garage, they may experience the frustration of living with the new vehicle for

years, due to a consideration they could make in a few hours (von Helversen, Mata, & Olsson,

2010). This information is crucial for the modern man, as a guide for reaching more informed

decisions, which will eliminate many of the instances of frustration, despite encountering choice

congestion daily.

Conclusion

Daily living in the modern society is characterized by many decisions to make and

activities to prioritize over others. The effects of this include that many individuals select the

actions or make the decisions that are not appropriate for the particular situation, and that leads

to frustration and psychological problems such as depression. Fortunately, the research done in

the past has shown that the frustration and psychological suffering are higher, wherever the

individual did not study the information that could improve the decision. As an example,

whenever a buyer purchases the wrong product because they were distracted by their phone or

another distraction, they experienced higher levels of frustration and psychological suffering.

Similarly, through applying the cognitive load theory to the study of choice congestion showed

that individuals can lessen the frustration and psychological suffering the experience by using the

more deliberate decision making a strategy. The study of the problem of choice congestion

provided useful information on ways to deal with it and recommended insights that the modern

man can use to stay free from the adverse effects.

CHOICE CONGESTION 7

References

Ariel, E. (2014). Memory and Decision Processes: The Impact of Cognitive Loads on Decision

Regret. Wharton Research Scholars, 108.

Das, N., & Kerr, A. H. (2010). “Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda”: A Conceptual Examination of the

Sources of Postpurchase Regret. The Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice,18(2),

171-180.

Juslin, P., Karlsson, L., & Olsson, H. (2008). Information integration in multiple-cue judgment: a

division of labor hypothesis. Cognition, 106 (1), 259-298.

Pieters, R., & Zeelenberg, M. (2007). A Theory of Regret Regulation 1.1. Journal of Consumer

Psychology, 17(1), 29-35.

Schnotz, W., & Kürschner, C. (2007). A Reconsideration of Cognitive Load Theory.

Educational Psychology Review, 19 (4), 469-508.

Shiraev, E., & Levy, D. (2015). Cross-Cultural Psychology: Critical Thinking and

Contemporary Applications (Fifth Edition). New York: Routledge.

Von Helversen, B., Mata, R., & Olsson, H. (2010). Do children profit from looking beyond

looks? From similarity-based to cue abstraction processes in multiple-cue judgment.

Developmental Psychology, 46 (1), 220-229.

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