Don't you really love it when the evidence points to the fact that you were right about somethin' all along. I have been deplorin' the growth and variety of choices forever as bein' somethin' unhealthy in our society. It now seems that others have actually researched the issue and the evidence substantiates my hypothesis:
[M]ore Americans than ever are clinically depressed. By some estimates (for example, those of psychologist Martin Seligman in his book Learned Optimism), depression in the year 2000 was about 10 times as likely as it was in 1900.You can rind the full story here: PARADE Magazine | When It's All Too Much--Jan. 4, 2004Of course, no one believes that a single factor explains this. But accumulating evidence from psychological research indicates that the explosion of choice plays an important role. It seems that as we become freer to pursue and do whatever we want, we get less and less happy.
Ya'll really do not understand how distressin' it is to me ever'time they bring out a new version of M&Ms or Doritos powdered with a different flavor. Too many choices complicates life; the simple life is the happy life.
Now -- don't get me started on havin' more stuff than you actually know what to do with. I will have to save that diatribe for another day.