The less meaningful the alternatives in a decision to be made, the more we tend to spend a lot of time worrying over them. Here's a quick explanation of why.
Fredkin’s Paradox Explains Why You Waste Time On Meaningless Decisions
Ever notice that you spend a full 15 minutes agonizing about whether to have apple-cinnamon pancakes or banana-walnut pancakes in the morning? Ever had that decision affect your day in any way? Fredkin’s Paradox explains why you agonize anyway.
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Never a problem for me. I don't have similar options, I guess. For breakfast, I can make eggs and sausage or chili cheese fries. When buying a car, which process I loathe, I go to a dealer and buy the first car in my price range to get the experience over with.
I guess I'm just weird.
Not that weird. I'm not much of a ditherer either. I'm settled enough in my brands that most of my shopping is walk in, go directly to item wanted, buy it, walk out.
The only time I spend debating over a purchase is when it's for something I totally don't need, but have wanted and I have a little money that I can use for it. Stuff like a new video game. And my dithering isn't over which one to get (I usually have them prioritized well in advance), but whether I should be "wasting" the money. Which is why I love getting a little birthday money. I don't fret over that.
Interesting. It seems a lot like how we spend so much more time arguing/quibbling over minor details than important differences, too — when there's a significant difference of opinion, it often feels like there's no reason to talk about it because you're not going to come to terms. But when the difference isn't really in how you feel or what you think, but just in how you phrased it, well! <rolls up sleeves> Let's spend half an hour working on that!