Happy with Choices?

Written By Jonathan Krogh

Dear Picky People:

We may assume that more choices create more opportunities for satisfaction, but more options do not necessarily increase happiness. In “Fast-Forward to Boredom: How Switching Behavior on Digital Media Makes People More Bored” (Katy Y. Y. Tam, PhD, and Michael Inzlicht, PhD, University of Toronto, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, published online August 19, 2024), Tam and Inzlicht hypothesized that if participants were allowed to scroll through multiple videos, they would feel less bored than those given no choice but to watch one video from beginning to end. The opposite was true. When more options were available, study participants became less engaged in what they were watching and, correspondingly, more bored. Tam and Inzlicht believed boredom increased when the multi-choice participants shifted their attention away from what they were watching, thinking about the videos they were not watching. As a result, greater choice corresponded with greater disappointment.

This article reminded me of Jesus’ criticism of the Pharisees in Luke 7.31-35: “To what, then, will I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,

‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;

 we wailed, and you did not weep.’

“For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon;’ the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” (NRSVUE)

Cranky children, like cranky viewers, are preoccupied with what isn’t happening. Options limit focus, and lost focus decreases satisfaction.

I see it on Sunday mornings. Folks who attend worship infrequently because they have so many other things to do seem to enjoy worship services less than those who arrive having considered no other options for their Sunday morning.

I am suggesting a little experiment of your own. Join us for three consecutive Sundays without weighing any other choice. Give yourself a leisurely two hours so you can spend some time with a cup of coffee and conversation following worship. On the fourth week, ask yourself where you would rather be. Sometimes worship is light and joyful; other times it is heavy and thoughtful. Either way, immersing ourselves in the full variety of experience reduces our anxiety and builds engagement. Some Sundays, we find ourselves weeping; other Sundays we might be dancing (metaphorically speaking), but it requires wisdom to vindicate the whole experience over multiple weeks rather than a few distracted moments.

Remember that the next time you are scrolling through the menu on Netflix; just pick something. I promise it will be more interesting than another 20 minutes of dithering.

Learning that picking may be better than choosing, I remain,

With Love,
Jonathan Krogh
Your Pastor

Jonathan Krogh
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A Time to Mourn