Why You Struggle To Pick A Show On Netflix

Boo and I love to binge-watch a single show on Netflix.  Then we need to pick another.  And that's a problem.  We spend a LOT of time scrolling through the choices.   In fact, we spend so much time that we often can't get through the first episode before we want to go to bed!

Because of science, we know know why that happens. 

A study published in the journal, “Nature Human Behaviour,” shows that the more choices we’re presented with, the less likely we are to make a decision.

But here's the problem:  when there are fewer options, it's not easier to make a decision -  you feel cheated!

So what's the optimal number of choices?  8 and 15.  Any more or any less is bad news.

This reminds me of a story of when Boo and I were dating -  and I think every man and woman in a relationship can relate to this:  I would ask Boo where she wanted to eat.  She said, "I don't know."  I would start making suggestions.  She would say, "no.  no.  no.  no...."  Frustrated, I would say, "so you don't know where you want to eat, but it's not any places that I choose!!!"

She proposed a compromise that we use to this very day:  she asked me to suggest three different restaurants that served three different types of menus.  Then she picks one.

So it turned out the optimal number of choices in OUR relationship is three.  Have you ever heard of the rule of threes?  That's a post for another day.....