Why Hard Decisions Should Be Easy (But Aren’t)

We make dozens of decisions on a daily basis: what to have for breakfast, which task to complete first, which article or book to read.

Most of these decisions are easy. But then there are the hard decisions — the ones we agonize over, the ones that lead to sleepless nights. These decisions are hard for two reasons: because no single option clearly dominates the alternatives, and because we expect our choice to have significant consequences. It’s these two elements that explain why hard decisions should be easy — but are not.

Let’s start with the first reason.

Decisions are hard when no single option clearly dominates the alternatives. If no option clearly dominates, then two or more options must be roughly matched in terms of their appeal. This seems intuitive enough, yet it prompts a compelling paradox. If the options are equally appealing (or equally unappealing, as the case may be), does it matter much which one we choose? Why not simply flip a coin and be done with it? To read more from TANIA LOMBROZO, click here.