In the TED video Sheena discusses the art of choosing and how in different cultures this art can be viewed very differently. She talks about three assumptions we make the first is “make your own choices”. Most Americans believe that if a choice affects them directly, than they should play a role in making that choice, however in many other countries this is not what they are accustomed to believing. Sheena made a valid point when she provided us with an example of when one culture performed better when completing a task when they had no choice in it, and another where the culture performed better when they had the ability to make a choice in the task. Sheena brings to light that not everyone will perform better when given the opportunity to choose and I agree with Sheena. I believe this is affected by where you live and what the norms may be in that culture and also how the individual was raised and what the values instilled are. Some people are raised to believe that they do not have a choice in certain matters conditioning them to be unable to make choices. Some people are conditioned or raised to believe that their choices are unlimited and it depends on an individual’s perseverance on how far they can go.
The second assumption Sheena discusses is that “more options lead to better choices”. In this assumption she brings to light the idea of how most people in America usually believe that to make a good decision or choice you must have many options to choose from. This is a way for us to be able to compare and contrast what will best suit our needs, however this can actually be the exact opposite for many individuals. Sheena explains that in order to make a good choice one must be able to distinguish the differences between the options presented. For example she conducted another study in which she asked people in Russia to choose a soda from the seven choices available and much to her surprise the Russians did not see the seven different sodas as seven different choices rather they saw the sodas as equals and as one choice, as they were all sodas so therefore there is one choice.
The results in this study put things into perspective for me in that I was able to see depending on where you live and where your priorities lie depends on what an individual may perceive as a choice. Many people in my culture would perceive the seven sodas as seven different choices, and in fact many might wish there were more to choose from. In my experience people usually want what they can’t have and that is why in my opinion we as Americans have bombarded ourselves with so many choices that we can no longer always distinguish the differences between our options. Sheena also makes a valid point when she discusses the nail polishes ballet slippers verse adorable. When she took the names off of the bottles no one could tell the difference and thought for a minute they were part of a prank, so with that I have to disagree that more options lead to better choices.
The third and final assumption Sheena makes is “never say no to a choice”. In this assumption she provides an example of different parents that had to make a decision to remove their baby from life support after being born prematurely. This example was conducted between Americans and French families. The American families were provided the choice as to whether or not to take their baby off of life support and the French were not instead their doctors made the decision. As a result the Americans suffered far worse feelings of guilt and hostility, were the French did not; however when the Americans were asked if they would have rather relinquished the ability to have made the choice they all confirmed they would not. Although the Americans did not like that they had to make that choice and many suffered from guilt they did not want to lose their “right” to make the final decision. This is definitely something I have witnessed and have to agree with Sheena when she points out many people believe they “must never say no to a choice”. I know that I would feel as though my rights had been stripped from me if was no longer able to decide the fate of my child and or anything else. I feel this is a behavior many are conditioned to believe in our culture and it becomes an innate trait. Although many do not like having to make such a horrific choice they would not want it made for them. Maybe this is because if someone feels in control and can weigh the pros and cons of the situation at hand they can believe in their minds they exhausted every option, they made the best decision at the time and no one cut them short of being able to exhaust these means.
In watching this video some of the implications brought to my attention were although having the right to choose brings self fulfillment in many having the right to choose causes tension and a sense of feeling overwhelmed to many others. If an individual has the ability to choose the outcome of a situation they must also be able to deal with the consequences of their decision such as the decision many had to make regarding taking their baby off of life support. When in contrast the individuals who were unable to make a decision also have to deal with the same consequences, however the amount of guilt or ability to deal with the decision might be easier on them in the long run. I also found myself questioning my overall opinion regarding choices. Before reading this article I was 100% for making my own decisions as it was “my right”, however now provided with another point of view on this topic I find myself questioning if I would rather have someone make some of the harder decisions for me.
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