Choice overload can happen any time we feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. When faced with too many choices, it can weaken people's decision-making ability. As in the jam example, many of us would sooner walk away empty-handed than deal with the stress of choosing from such a large selection.

The studies have shown not only that excessive choice can produce “choice paralysis,” but only that it can reduce people’s satisfaction with their decisions, even if they made good ones.

A similar thing happens when we're forced to make multiple decisions one after another—a common occurrence in everyday life. We experience an effect psychologists call decision fatigue. Decision fatigue suggests that making a large number of decisions over a prolonged period of time can be a significant drain on our willpower. The result? We have a harder time saying no—to things like junk food, impulse buys, and other tempting offers.

People will be afraid of missing the best choice, and they want to exhaust everything possible before making a decision. When there are fewer choices, people are more likely to be satisfied with the results after making a decision, and endlessly trying to find the optimal solution can lead to indecision, depression, stress, regret, and unhappiness. Enumerating all the alternatives and finding the best from them, it is unrealistic to obtain absolute complete information when making a decision.