We recently moved Nico’s toy box from up on top of a piece of furniture to down on the floor. We kept it out of reach for a long time because he would destroy his stuffed toys after a period of time playing with them. After working with him and as he has matured, he doesn’t destroy toys anymore. Now, he faces the paradox of choice. Barry Schwartz outlined the paradox of choice in his book The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less. It is a fascinating concept that we all feel daily. We value the freedom and autonomy of choice; we even value having more choices, but at the same time, choice can easily overwhelm us, causing anxiety, depression, and so on. We face this when we go to the grocery store and are confronted with something as simple as picking out a cereal box. Which of the dozens of options is best? And so now Nico faces it with his toys. When he didn’t get to choose, he would be super excited for whatever toy we gave him. Now, he faces the paradox of choice and often can’t decide which toy he wants to play with. If you haven’t read the book, I highly recommend it.

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Gear Used For This Shot

Sony A7RIV - Sony 50mm f1.2 - Godox AD300 Pro - Godox X ProS - Godox 1D-S60S