--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [Americans] think that choice, as seen…" description: "\"[Americans] think that choice, as seen through the American lens, best fulfills an innate and universal desire for choice in all humans. Unfortunately,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06a/sheena-iyengar-2596_assumption_americans-think-that-choice-as-seen-thro_2472086.png" --- # \[Americans\] think that choice, as seen through the… ![“[Americans] think that choice, as seen through the American lens, best fulfills an innate and universal desire for choice in all humans. Unfortunately, these beliefs are based on assumptions that don't always hold true in many countries, in many cultures.” quote by Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06a/sheena-iyengar-2596_assumption_americans-think-that-choice-as-seen-thro_2472086.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06a/sheena-iyengar-2596_assumption_americans-think-that-choice-as-seen-thro_2472086.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06a/sheena-iyengar-2596_assumption_americans-think-that-choice-as-seen-thro_2472086.png) > “\[Americans\] think that choice, as seen through the American lens, best fulfills an innate and universal desire for choice in all humans. Unfortunately, these beliefs are based on assumptions that don't always hold true in many countries, in many cultures.” [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The belief that all humans inherently desire choice is often projected from an American viewpoint, but cultural differences challenge this universal claim. **In simple terms:** American view assumes universal desire for choice, but cultures differ. Key Takeaway Recognize cultural variation in values. Themes culture choice perception bias Mood reflective critical Type analytical observational When to use this quote - cross‑cultural research - marketing strategies - policy making - international negotiations Key Concepts individualism cultural relativism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do cultural contexts shape preferences for choice? - When might imposing choice be counterproductive? A Different Perspective Assuming universality can lead to misinterpretation of other societies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Americans Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-think/) [Assumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Choice Seen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice-seen-772095/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Desire Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire-choice-772094/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Innate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innate/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Lenses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lenses/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Think Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-choice-336573/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Universal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universal/) ## Related quotes > [What we share with animals is a desire for choice. It's a desire to have control over our life and a desire to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/what-we-share-with-animals-is-a-desire-for-choice-it-s-a-desire-to/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [We have a choice. We can seek for the bad in others. Or we can make peace and work to extend to others the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/we-have-a-choice-we-can-seek-for-the-bad-in-others-or-we-can-make/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [Are you going to be able to shave your legs? Are you going to be able to get married? So it was constantly thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/are-you-going-to-be-able-to-shave-your-legs-are-you-going-to-be-able/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [I think of choosing as a... both a fun and an effortful activity and I think of choice as something that in order for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/i-think-of-choosing-as-a-both-a-fun-and-an-effortful-activity-and-i/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [My child's first word was "more," but and it's all about, "I want." "I'm going to tell you what I want and what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/my-child-s-first-word-was-more-but-and-it-s-all-about-i-want-i-m/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [I don't think we have any choice. I think we have an obligation to change the rules, to raise the bar, to play a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-think-we-have-any-choice-i-think-we-have-an-obligation-to/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“I think that you have the choice: You will let her memory cause you pain, or you will let her memory fade.” “And”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-west/i-think-that-you-have-the-choice-you-will-let-her-memory-cause-you/) [Michelle West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-west/) > [“I can gaze into the infinity of a nighttime sky, or I can stare at my phone. And the insanity of it all is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/i-can-gaze-into-the-infinity-of-a-nighttime-sky-or-i-can-stare-at-my/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I think if I had a choice, I'd like to be in a film with De Niro.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farhan-akhtar/i-think-if-i-had-a-choice-i-d-like-to-be-in-a-film-with-de-niro/) [Farhan Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farhan-akhtar/) > [To me - the choice of life is become less important; I hope hereafter to think only on the choice of eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/to-me-the-choice-of-life-is-become-less-important-i-hope-hereafter-to/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Even with Extreme, I don't think you have a choice but to sort of have somewhat of an influence of the times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nuno-bettencourt/even-with-extreme-i-don-t-think-you-have-a-choice-but-to-sort-of-have/) [Nuno Bettencourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nuno-bettencourt/) > [No decision in business provides greater potential for the creation of wealth (or its destruction, come to think of it) than the choice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-heller/no-decision-in-business-provides-greater-potential-for-the-creation/) [Robert Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-heller/) > [I envy children who know that they're going to become doctors, know they're going to go into the forces or whatever. I think choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-irons/i-envy-children-who-know-that-they-re-going-to-become-doctors-know/) [Jeremy Irons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-irons/) > [Once you're out there in front of people, I don't think there's any choice than to just give it your all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-marshall/once-you-re-out-there-in-front-of-people-i-don-t-think-there-s-any/) [Winston Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-marshall/) > [I think, if I had my choice, I would spend all my time in the studio writing, and creating music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-condon/i-think-if-i-had-my-choice-i-would-spend-all-my-time-in-the-studio/) [Zach Condon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-condon/) ## More by Sheena Iyengar > [“Personal happiness is always a very serious matter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/personal-happiness-is-always-a-very-serious-matter/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [Then, the other thing that affected my interest in choices growing up was the fact that I was going blind and that meant that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/then-the-other-thing-that-affected-my-interest-in-choices-growing-up/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [“move. For one thing, you’re going to start paying more attention. Yes, perhaps you’ll sometimes have a crazed, wild-eyed look, but that’s a price…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/move-for-one-thing-you-re-going-to-start-paying-more-attention-yes/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [What we share with animals is a desire for choice. It's a desire to have control over our life and a desire to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/what-we-share-with-animals-is-a-desire-for-choice-it-s-a-desire-to/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [You know, you take a little infant and you turn on the music mobile on their crib and you find that if you give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/you-know-you-take-a-little-infant-and-you-turn-on-the-music-mobile-on/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [I went home and they seemed... my parents seemed normal. They didn't seem to feel like somehow they had been victims of some Nazi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/i-went-home-and-they-seemed-my-parents-seemed-normal-they-didn-t-seem/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [The less control people had over their work, the higher their blood pressure during work hours. Moreover, blood pressure at home was unrelated to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/the-less-control-people-had-over-their-work-the-higher-their-blood/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [Consumers presented with six choices on an item were twice as likely to buy as consumers overwhelmed with 24 varieties of the same item.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/consumers-presented-with-six-choices-on-an-item-were-twice-as-likely/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [The quality of health care continues to improve, and people are living longer, but these developments mean that we're likely to eventually find ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/the-quality-of-health-care-continues-to-improve-and-people-are-living/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [The key to getting the most from choice is to be choosy about choosing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/the-key-to-getting-the-most-from-choice-is-to-be-choosy-about-choosing/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [I used to go to this store called Draeger's and you had a little bit of that same feeling because this was a store…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/i-used-to-go-to-this-store-called-draeger-s-and-you-had-a-little-bit/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [Balancing hopes, desires and an appreciating of the possibilities with a clear-eyed assessment of the limitations: that is the art of choosing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/balancing-hopes-desires-and-an-appreciating-of-the-possibilities-with/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [So gut tells you "How do I feel about this right now?" It doesn't tell me how I feel about it tomorrow or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/so-gut-tells-you-how-do-i-feel-about-this-right-now-it-doesn-t-tell/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [I put out a good 10 different types of drinks for them and they just said, "Oh, okay, so it's just one choice." One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/i-put-out-a-good-10-different-types-of-drinks-for-them-and-they-just/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [Like, people are less likely to invest in their retirement when they have more options in their 401K plans than when they have fewer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/like-people-are-less-likely-to-invest-in-their-retirement-when-they/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) [Explore all 158 Sheena Iyengar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) ## More Assumption quotes > [Next to the assumption of power was the responsibility of relinquishing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/next-to-the-assumption-of-power-was-the-responsibility-of/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) [Richard Doll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-doll/) > [Fortunately, the mind is restless; when it uncovers a layer of its own deception, gives up an illusion, exposes a lie, it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-chernin/fortunately-the-mind-is-restless-when-it-uncovers-a-layer-of-its-own/) [Kim Chernin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-chernin/) > [The possibility of saying anything about a thing rests on the assumption that it preserves its identity, or continues to be the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-knight/the-possibility-of-saying-anything-about-a-thing-rests-on-the/) [Frank Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-knight/) > [She spent hours drawing on her own, trying to perfect her craft. And when she got into music, she had that same diligence in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-joplin/she-spent-hours-drawing-on-her-own-trying-to-perfect-her-craft-and/) [Laura Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-joplin/) > [If they are, then the only ultimate truths are the particulars of concrete experience, and no postulate or general assumption is inherent in science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-wright/if-they-are-then-the-only-ultimate-truths-are-the-particulars-of/) [Chauncey Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-wright/) > [If he's - the inference is that somehow he thinks slavery is a - is a noble institution I would - I would strongly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-he-s-the-inference-is-that-somehow-he-thinks-slavery-is-a-is-a/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Leadership, pure and simple, is the assumption of responsibility for the pursuit of excellence in group life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-selznick/leadership-pure-and-simple-is-the-assumption-of-responsibility-for/) [Philip Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-selznick/) > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [When I see a fan coming over, I can't help but make an assumption about what they want to talk about. A middle-aged American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-dormer/when-i-see-a-fan-coming-over-i-can-t-help-but-make-an-assumption/) [Natalie Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-dormer/) > [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [Pussy Riot have certainly changed some people's assumptions about the role of political art and the relationship between the intelligentsia and the church. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/pussy-riot-have-certainly-changed-some-people-s-assumptions-about-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) [Browse all 1,277 Assumption quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[Americans] think that choice, as seen through the American lens, best fulfills an innate and universal desire for choice in all humans. 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