The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less

by Barry Schwartz

example of the peak-end rule in operation. Men undergoing diagnostic colonoscopy exams were asked to report how they felt moment by moment while having the exam, and how they felt when it was over. Most people find these exams, in which a tube with a tiny camera on the end is inserted up the rectum and then moved around to allow the inspection of the gastrointestinal system, quite unpleasant—so much so that patients avoid getting regular tests, much to their peril. In the test, one group of patients had a standard colonoscopy. A second group had a standard colonoscopy plus. The “plus” was that after the actual examination was over, the doctor left the instrument in place for a short time. This was still unpleasant, but much less so because the scope wasn’t moving. (Note that both groups of patients were having the colonoscopies for legitimate medical reasons; they were not subjecting themselves to these procedures just for the sake of the experiment.) So the second group experienced the same moment-by-moment discomfort as the first group, with the addition of somewhat lesser discomfort for twenty seconds more. And that is what they reported, moment-by-moment, as they were having the procedure. But a short time after it was over, the second group rated their experience as less unpleasant than did the first. Whereas both groups had the same peak experience, the second group had a milder end experience. And it made a difference. It turned out that, over a five-year period aft...