--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When the options are few, we can be happy…" description: "\"“When the options are few, we can be happy with what we choose since we are confident that it is the best possible choice for us. When the options are ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07a/sheena-iyengar-2596_choice_when-the-options-are-few-we-can-be-happy_1998931.jpg" --- # When the options are few, we can be happy with what we… ![“When the options are few, we can be happy with what we choose since we are confident that it is the best possible choice for us. When the options are practically infinite, though, we believe that the perfect choice for us must be out there somewhere and that it’s our responsibility to find it…” quote by Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07a/sheena-iyengar-2596_choice_when-the-options-are-few-we-can-be-happy_1998931.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07a/sheena-iyengar-2596_choice_when-the-options-are-few-we-can-be-happy_1998931.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07a/sheena-iyengar-2596_choice_when-the-options-are-few-we-can-be-happy_1998931.jpg) > ““When the options are few, we can be happy with what we choose since we are confident that it is the best possible choice for us. When the options are practically infinite, though, we believe that the perfect choice for us must be out there somewhere and that it’s our responsibility to find it. Choosing can become a lose-lose situation: if we make a choice quickly without fully exploring the available options, we’ll regret potentially missing out on something better; if we do exhaustively consider all the options, we’ll expend more effort (which won’t necessarily increase the quality of our final choice), and if we discover other good options, we may regret that we can’t choose them all.”” [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. Having many options can paralyze decision‑making, leading to regret or wasted effort, while few options simplify satisfaction. **In simple terms:** Too many choices cause anxiety; few choices bring contentment. Key Takeaway Limit options to reduce regret. Themes decision‑making choice overload psychology satisfaction regret Mood anxious reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career choices - consumer purchases - relationship decisions - life planning Key Concepts Opportunity cost satisficing decision fatigue confidence Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance thoroughness with efficiency? - When does choice overload become beneficial? A Different Perspective An excess of options can also inspire creativity and better outcomes if managed well. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Opportunity cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity-cost/) ## Related quotes > [“The only life worth living is the one we take responsibility for choosing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-stoddard/the-only-life-worth-living-is-the-one-we-take-responsibility-for/) [Alexandra Stoddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-stoddard/) > [“All of us have the privilege and responsibility of choosing our attitudes, no matter what circumstances or situations we find ourselves in. The key…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/all-of-us-have-the-privilege-and-responsibility-of-choosing-our/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [I take the responsibility of choosing seriously because it becomes an indelible part of your body of work. Something has to sing to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-sorvino/i-take-the-responsibility-of-choosing-seriously-because-it-becomes-an/) [Mira Sorvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-sorvino/) > [The first choice is always yours, take responsibility for your actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-first-choice-is-always-yours-take-responsibility-for-your-actions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“America’s voters carry the responsibility of choosing the best person to lead our nation, and whoever that person may be, there is one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-hill/america-s-voters-carry-the-responsibility-of-choosing-the-best-person/) [Clint Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-hill/) > [We empower ourselves every time we accept responsibility for choosing the thoughts and feelings we act on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-casey/we-empower-ourselves-every-time-we-accept-responsibility-for-choosing/) [Karan Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-casey/) > [Win or lose, fail or succeed...its your choice and your responsibility! Your either in the game or on the sidelines! But you gotta pick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/win-or-lose-fail-or-succeed-its-your-choice-and-your-responsibility/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Volunteering is not a choice, it's a responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-josland/volunteering-is-not-a-choice-it-s-a-responsibility/) Azgraybebly Josland > [I have this to say to the people: go the polls and vote for the candidate of your choice... This is your responsibility; do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hosni-mubarak/i-have-this-to-say-to-the-people-go-the-polls-and-vote-for-the/) [Hosni Mubarak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hosni-mubarak/) > [You must assume full responsibility for choosing to pursue power. Know that you alone have chosen to be tested, and then proceed without doubt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-livingston/you-must-assume-full-responsibility-for-choosing-to-pursue-power-know/) [Mike Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-livingston/) > [“Empowerment is being aware that there is no one to blame for my choices and actions; that I have a personal choice and responsibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/empowerment-is-being-aware-that-there-is-no-one-to-blame-for-my/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [“Monogamy is not a choice, it is a responsibility of a genuine human.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/monogamy-is-not-a-choice-it-is-a-responsibility-of-a-genuine-human/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [When I do have choice I try to be very picky about... or shall I say choosey about when I choose. I don't automatically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/when-i-do-have-choice-i-try-to-be-very-picky-about-or-shall-i-say/) [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/) > [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/) ## 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 Choice quotes > [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [“That’s all! Now either leave us alone or join us as a father rather than a receiver of sacrifices. You have the choice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/that-s-all-now-either-leave-us-alone-or-join-us-as-a-father-rather/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“Exactly. So, what can't you take? Decide which of the two options is harder, and do the other. That way, no matter how hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-angelini/exactly-so-what-can-t-you-take-decide-which-of-the-two-options-is/) [Josephine Angelini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-angelini/) > [“too—I realized that my only hope was to give up the life that had been, in order to make room for the life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/too-i-realized-that-my-only-hope-was-to-give-up-the-life-that-had/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) Pancho Barnes > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/there-has-always-been-a-feeling-with-people-that-they-love-my-singing/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [I have too many options when it comes to guitars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-have-too-many-options-when-it-comes-to-guitars/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [“Amazing how a small choice can change your life forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-c-dockens/amazing-how-a-small-choice-can-change-your-life-forever/) Randy C. Dockens > [Change is inevitable but personal growth is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/change-is-inevitable-but-personal-growth-is-a-choice/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Since I don't outline my books very much, I feel like sometimes I don't have a choice in what the characters do; they just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-todd/since-i-don-t-outline-my-books-very-much-i-feel-like-sometimes-i-don/) [Anna Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-todd/) > [Act always so as to increase the number of choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/act-always-so-as-to-increase-the-number-of-choices/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Words can only have an effect on you if you choose to listen to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/words-can-only-have-an-effect-on-you-if-you-choose-to-listen-to-them/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) [Browse all 8,092 Choice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When the options are few, we can be happy with what we choose since we are confident that it is the best possible choice for us. When the options are practically infinite, though, we believe that the perfect choice for us must be out there somewhere and that it’s our responsibility to find it. Choosing can become a lose-lose situation: if we make a choice quickly without fully exploring the available options, we’ll regret potentially missing out on something better; if we do exhaustively consider all the options, we’ll expend more effort (which won’t necessarily increase the quality of our final choice), and if we discover other good options, we may regret that we can’t choose them all.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sheena Iyengar" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/when-the-options-are-few-we-can-be-happy-with-what-we-choose-since-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Choice" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/when-the-options-are-few-we-can-be-happy-with-what-we-choose-since-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07a/sheena-iyengar-2596_choice_when-the-options-are-few-we-can-be-happy_1998931.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07a/sheena-iyengar-2596_choice_when-the-options-are-few-we-can-be-happy_1998931.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07a/sheena-iyengar-2596_choice_when-the-options-are-few-we-can-be-happy_1998931.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When the options are few, we can be happy with what we choose since we are confident that it is the best…” — Sheena Iyengar", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sheena Iyengar", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When the options are few, we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/when-the-options-are-few-we-can-be-happy-with-what-we-choose-since-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/when-the-options-are-few-we-can-be-happy-with-what-we-choose-since-we/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```