Who has not faced this situation? Having too many choices when shopping for a product creates a feeling that we call “being spoiled for choice.” Academic studies have proven for some time that consumers find a large selection of products attractive, but this makes it increasingly difficult for them to decide what to buy. A team centered on the Tübingen scientist, Dr. Axel Lindner, from the University Hospital for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy and the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research has now discovered what takes place in our brains when we are “spoiled for choice.” The brain activity in particular areas was always strongest when people were confronted with the preferred mid-level number of options. If the number becomes too large, the cognitive effort involved in making a decision exceeds the benefits – brain activity declines and we face a “spoiled for choice” situation. The current findings are published in the current issue of Nature Human Behaviour.

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