The art of choosing - Sheena Iyengar

Summary

Ce script explore les différences culturelles dans la perception du choix, à travers l'expérience de l'auteure vivant au Japon et des études sur les enfants japonais et américains. Il met en lumière les préférences individuelles et collectives, et comment elles influencent les performances et les relations sociales. L'auteure remet en question l'idée américaine selon laquelle plus de choix conduit à une meilleure décision, en montrant que cela peut entraîner de la paralysie ou de l'anxiété. Elle appelle à une compréhension plus large et empathique du choix, pour réaliser pleinement son potentiel de liberté et d'espoir.

Takeaways

• 🌏 L'auteur partage son expérience de vie au Japon, où des différences culturelles se sont manifestées lors de la commande d'un thé vert sucré, illustrant le conflit entre les préférences personnelles et les normes culturelles.
• 🍵 Le thé vert sucré a servi de point de départ pour discuter de la notion de choix et de la manière dont il est perçu différemment selon les cultures, y compris les attentes américaines et japonaises.
• 🇺🇸 L'auteur souligne que l'Amérique considère le choix comme un droit inhérent au consommateur, reflétant la philosophie 'à votre façon' de la société américaine.
• 🧐 L'étude de Mark Lepper sur les enfants montre que les différences culturelles affectent la manière dont les choix sont perçus et influencent les performances des enfants.
• 📊 Les recherches suggèrent que les choix effectués par des membres de la communauté sont parfois préférables aux choix individuels, en particulier dans les cultures collectivistes.
• 🤔 L'idée que plus de choix conduit à de meilleures décisions est remise en question, comme le montre l'étude sur les anagrammes et les choix faits par les enfants.
• 🧉 L'expérience en Europe de l'Est démontre que trop de choix peuvent causer de la confusion et de la peur, en particulier pour ceux qui ne sont pas habitués à un marché capitaliste.
• 🛒 Les consommateurs américains sont souvent soumis à une surabondance de choix, ce qui peut mener à une paralysie face à l'abondance de possibilités.
• 🚫 L'idée que refuser le choix est négatif est remise en question, comme le montre l'étude sur les parents confrontés à des décisions difficiles concernant la vie de leur enfant.
• 📚 L'auteur appelle à une compréhension plus large et nuancée de ce que le choix peut représenter, en reconnaissant la diversité des expériences culturelles.
• 🌟 Le discours conclut par une invitation à reconnaître la complexité et la beauté du choix, et à apprendre de différentes perspectives pour réaliser pleinement le potentiel du choix.

Q & A

Quel est le thème principal du discours de Sheena Iyengar ?

Le thème principal du discours est l'impact culturel sur la perception et la pratique du choix, ainsi que les problèmes associés aux suppositions américaines concernant le choix.

Pourquoi a-t-elle partagé son expérience au Japon ?

Elle a partagé son expérience au Japon pour illustrer les différences culturelles dans la perception du choix et comment cela peut conduire à des malentendus inattendus.

Quelle différence fondamentale existe-t-il entre la perspective américaine et japonaise sur le choix, selon le discours ?

La différence fondamentale réside dans le fait que les Américains croient que les clients ont le droit de faire des choix en fonction de leurs préférences, tandis que les Japonais se considèrent comme des gardiens de la culture et cherchent à protéger ceux qui ne sont pas au courant des normes culturelles.

Quels sont les trois principaux problèmes liés aux suppositions américaines sur le choix, selon Sheena Iyengar ?

Les trois problèmes sont : 1) L'idée que le choix doit être entièrement privé et définitif de soi, 2) La croyance que plus de choix mène à de meilleures décisions, 3) L'impossibilité de refuser ou de dire non au choix.

Quel était le résultat de l'étude menée par Sheena Iyengar et ses collègues sur les enfants japonais et américains ?

Les enfants américains ont mieux performé lorsqu'ils ont eu le choix de faire des puzzles, tandis que les enfants asiato-américains ont préféré lorsque c'était leur mère qui avait fait le choix, et les enfants japonais ont été influencés par la perspective de leur communauté.

Comment les résidents des pays d'Europe de l'Est perçoivent-ils l'abondance de choix après la chute du communisme ?

Ils perçoivent l'abondance de choix comme un débordement, une surcharge qui les rend confus et frustrés, et parfois même effrayés, plutôt que comme une opportunité ou une libération.

Quels sont les effets psychologiques de devoir faire un choix difficile, comme celui décrit dans le scénario des parents américains ?

Les effets psychologiques peuvent inclure des sentiments de culpabilité, de colère, de tristesse et même une dépression clinique, en raison de la pression de devoir faire un choix qui a des conséquences durables.

Pourquoi les Américains sont-ils si réticents à abandonner le choix, même face à des situations difficiles ?

Les Américains sont réticents à abandonner le choix car cela va à l'encontre de tout ce qu'ils ont été enseignés et de tout ce qu'ils ont appris à croire sur la puissance et le but du choix.

Quelle est la métaphore utilisée par Sheena Iyengar pour décrire la façon dont les Américains interprètent leur expérience ?

Elle utilise la métaphore de la narration, où les Américains s'imposent une ligne narrative sur des images disparates pour gérer et comprendre leur expérience.

Comment la déficience visuelle de Sheena Iyengar a-t-elle influencé sa perspective sur la recherche du choix ?

Étant donné qu'elle est aveugle, elle a une perspective différente sur la façon dont les personnes à vue normale font des choix, en se concentrant sur d'autres aspects que la couleur ou l'esthétique.

Quel est l'expériment que Sheena Iyengar a mené avec les ongles à ongles roses pour étudier l'effet des noms sur les choix ?

Elle a enlevé les étiquettes des bouteilles de vernis à ongles et a demandé aux femmes de choisir entre les deux. Lorsque les noms étaient enlevés, elles ont choisi le vernis 'adorable', mais avec les noms, elles ont préféré le 'ballet slippers', ce qui suggère que les noms peuvent influencer la perception de la couleur.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 Choix culturels et différences

Le script parle de l'expérience personnelle de l'auteur qui a vécu en Japon et des différences culturelles rencontrées, notamment dans les restaurants. L'auteur a commandé du thé vert sucré, ce qui a suscité un débat sur les normes culturelles et les choix personnels. Cela illustre le conflit entre la perspective américaine du choix basé sur les préférences individuelles et la perspective japonaise de protection contre les mauvais choix. L'auteur souligne que les croyances américaines sur le choix ne sont pas universelles et peuvent poser des problèmes dans d'autres cultures.

05:01

📊 Études sur les choix et la performance

L'auteur relate des études sur les choix effectuées avec des enfants de 7 à 9 ans aux États-Unis et au Japon. Les enfants américains ont mieux performé lorsqu'ils ont choisi eux-mêmes les activités, tandis que les enfants asiato-américains ont préféré lorsque leurs choix étaient faits par leurs mères. Cela met en lumière l'influence culturelle sur la perception du choix et la performance, et comment les choix collectifs peuvent être aussi importants que les choix individuels.

10:02

🛍️ Surabondance de choix et stress

L'auteur explore l'idée que plus les choix sont nombreux, mieux c'est, en s'appuyant sur des expériences en Europe de l'Est. Les anciens pays communistes ont été submergés par les choix après la transition vers une société capitaliste. Les participants ont exprimé de la peur et de la confusion face à cette surabondance, ce qui remet en question l'idée américaine selon laquelle plus de choix conduit à de meilleures décisions.

15:06

🏥 Le poids du choix dans les situations de vie ou de mort

Le script aborde un scénario émotionnel où un couple doit décider si de maintenir leur bébé sur une respiration assistée ou non, en cas de cérébral anoxia. L'auteur souligne les difficultés et les émotions négatives vécues par les parents américains lorsqu'ils doivent faire ce genre de choix, par opposition à la France où les médecins prennent la décision, ce qui semble les aider à gérer leur deuil plus efficacement.

20:08

🎭 La poésie du choix et la nécessité de nouvelles perspectives

L'auteur conclut en disant que les histoires et les perspectives sur le choix varient d'un endroit à l'autre et que les Américains pourraient bénéficier d'un élargissement de leur propre narrative. En apprenant à se parler et à se traduire les uns les autres, nous pouvons mieux comprendre et célébrer la complexité et la beauté du choix, plutôt que de tomber dans le relativisme moral ou de s'accrocher à une narrative unique.

👁️ La perspective d'une étudiante aveugle sur le choix

En guise d'anecdote finale, l'auteur partage son expérience personnelle en tant qu'étudiante aveugle et comment cela lui a offert une perspective différente sur la façon dont les gens à la vue font des choix, en particulier en ce qui concerne les choix visuels. Un exemple humoristique est donné à travers une expérience avec du vernis à ongles, où les noms des couleurs semblent influencer la perception des couleurs par les participants d'une expérience.

Keywords

💡Culturale

Le terme 'culturel' fait référence à l'ensemble des caractéristiques, des normes et des comportements d'un groupe social. Dans le script, il est utilisé pour illustrer les différences dans la perception du choix entre les cultures japonaise et américaine, comme dans l'anecdote du thé vert sucré.

💡Choix

Le 'choix' est un concept central dans le script, représentant la capacité de faire un choix entre différentes options. Il est lié au thème principal en explorant comment le choix est perçu et géré dans différentes cultures et comment cela affecte les performances et les émotions.

💡Individualisme

L''individualisme' est la valeur accordée à l'autonomie et à l'indépendance de chaque personne. Le script le mentionne en tant que base de la vision américaine du choix, où le choix est considéré comme un moyen d'affirmer sa personnalité et ses préférences.

💡Collectivisme

Le 'collectivisme' est le contraire de l'individualisme, mettant l'accent sur le groupe et l'harmonie communautaire. Dans le script, il est illustré par la perspective japonaise, où le choix est influencé par le désir de ne pas contrevenir aux normes culturelles.

💡Préférences

Les 'préférences' sont les choix personnels basés sur les goûts et les désirs individuels. Le script les utilise pour montrer la différence entre les cultures qui valorisent le respect des préférences individuelles et celles qui privilégient les normes collectives.

💡Assomption

L' 'assomption' dans le script fait référence à la croyance sous-jacente ou au préjugé culturel. Il est utilisé pour explorer les croyances américaines sur le choix et comment elles peuvent ne pas être universelles.

💡Dilemme

Le 'dilemma' est une situation difficile où un choix doit être fait entre deux options inégales. Le script l'utilise pour décrire les situations où le choix est source de stress et de confusion, comme dans l'exemple des parents confrontés à la décision de retirer la vie support à leur enfant.

💡Opportunités

Les 'opportunités' représentent les possibilités offertes par le fait de choisir. Le script les mentionne pour souligner que, bien que le choix offre des opportunités, il peut aussi imposer des contraintes et causer de l'anxiété.

💡Traduction

La 'traduction' est utilisée dans le script pour parler de la manière dont les idées et les histoires peuvent être interprétées et transformées lorsqu'elles sont partagées entre différentes cultures. Cela est lié au thème du choix et de la manière dont il est perçu de différentes manières dans le monde.

💡Narrative

Le 'narrative' fait référence à l'histoire ou au récit que nous construisons pour comprendre notre expérience. Dans le script, il est utilisé pour parler de la façon dont les différentes perspectives sur le choix sont incorporées dans les histoires culturelles et personnelles.

💡Aveugle

L'état d'être 'aveugle' est mentionné dans le script pour souligner comment la perception du choix peut être influencée par les handicaps physiques. Cela offre une perspective différente sur le choix, où l'auteure partage son expérience personnelle de choisir sans entrave visuelle.

Highlights

The speaker discusses cultural differences in the concept of choice, starting with a personal anecdote from Japan about ordering green tea with sugar.

The American perspective values individual choice and the right to have preferences met, as exemplified by slogans from Burger King and Starbucks.

The Japanese perspective is contrasted, where there is a duty to protect those who may not know better, guiding them away from making 'wrong' choices.

The speaker challenges the American belief in the universality of their approach to choice, suggesting it may not be the pinnacle of cultural practice.

The first assumption discussed is that individuals should make choices affecting them, ensuring their preferences are accounted for.

A study conducted in Japan and San Francisco with children showed cultural differences in how they responded to making choices versus having choices made for them.

The study found that Asian-American children performed best when they believed their mothers had made the choice, reflecting a cultural preference for collective success.

The American paradigm demands choice as a private and self-defining act, which may not suit all individuals or cultures.

The second assumption is that more choices lead to better decisions, which is challenged by the speaker's experiences in Eastern Europe.

Interviews in formerly communist countries revealed a perception of being overwhelmed by too many choices, contrary to the American belief in the benefits of more options.

The value of choice is tied to the ability to perceive differences between options, a skill not universally developed or valued.

Choice can become a source of pressure and fear, rather than liberation, when too many options are available without the ability to discern between them.

The third assumption discussed is the reluctance to say no to choice, using the example of American parents faced with life support decisions for their newborns.

A study comparing American and French parents found that the burden of decision-making affected their coping mechanisms and emotional responses to loss.

Despite the emotional burden, American parents still preferred to retain the choice, reflecting a deep cultural belief in the power of choice.

The speaker concludes by advocating for a more nuanced understanding of choice that incorporates diverse perspectives and narratives.

The potential of choice is in inspiring hope and achieving freedom, but it requires a broader conversation that respects different cultural approaches.

The speaker, who is blind, offers a unique perspective on the visual nature of choice and the influence of labeling on perception.

An experiment with nail polish colors and labels suggests that names and packaging can significantly influence choice, even when the product is the same.

Transcripts

today I'm going to take you around the

world in 18 minutes my base of

operations is in the US but let's start

at the other end of the map in Kyoto

Japan where I was living with a Japanese

family while I was doing part of my

dissertation Ulrike our cultural

differences and misunderstandings but

they popped up when I least expected it

on my first day I went to a restaurant

and I ordered a cup of green tea with

sugar after a pause the waiter said when

does not put sugar in green tea I know I

said I'm aware of this custom but I

really like my tea suite in response he

gave me an even more courteous version

of the same explanation one does not put

sugar in green tea I understand I said

that the Japanese do not put sugar in

their green tea but I'd like to put some

sugar in my green tea

surprised by my insistence the waiter

had to took up the issue with the

manager pretty soon a lengthy discussion

ensued and finally the manager came over

to me and said I am very sorry we do not

have sugar well since I couldn't have my

tea the way I wanted it I ordered a cup

of coffee which the waiter brought

brought over promptly resting on the

saucer were two packets of sugar my

failure to procure myself a cup of sweet

green tea was not due to a simple

misunderstanding

this was due to a fundamental difference

in our ideas about choice for my

American perspective when a paying

customer makes a reasonable request

based on her preferences she has every

right to have that request but the

American way to quote Burger King is to

have it your way because the Starbucks

says happiness is in your choices but

from the Japanese perspective it's their

duty to protect those who don't know any

better in this case the ignorant gaijin

for making the wrong choice let's face

it the way I wanted my tea was

inappropriate according to cultural

standards and they were doing their best

to help me say face Americans tend to

believe that they've reached some sort

of pinnacle in the way they practice

choice they think the choice is seen

through the American lens best fulfills

an innate and universal desire for

choice in all humans

unfortunately these beliefs are based on

assumptions that don't always hold true

in many countries in many cultures at

times they don't even hold true in

America's own borders I'd like to

discuss some of these assumptions and

the problems associated with them as I

do so I hope you'll start thinking about

some of your own assumptions and how

they were shaped by your backgrounds

first assumption if a choice affects you

then you should be the one to make it

this is the only way to ensure that your

preferences and

interests will be most fully accounted

for it is essential for success in

America

the primary locus of choice is the

individual people must choose for

themselves sometimes sticking to their

guns regardless of what other people

want to recommend

it's called being true to yourself but

do all individuals benefit from taking

such an approach to choice mark clipper

and I did a series of studies in which

we sought the answer to this very

question in one study which we ran in

Japan town San Francisco we brought

seven to nine year-old angle and

asian-american children into the

laboratory and we divided them up into

three groups the first group came in and

they were greeted by Miss Smith who

showed them six peak piles of anagram

puzzles the kids got to choose which

pile of anagrams they would like to do

and they even got to choose which marker

they would write their answers with when

the second group of children came in

they were brought to the same room shown

the same anagrams but this time Miss

Smith told them which anagrams to do and

which markers to write their answers

with now when the third group came in

they were told that their anagrams and

their markers had been chosen by their

mothers

in reality the kids who were told would

to do whether by Miss Smith or their

mothers were actually given the very

same activity which their counterparts

and the first group had freely chosen

with this procedure we were able to

ensure that the kids across the three

groups all did the same activity making

it easier for us to compare performance

such small differences in the way we

administered the activity yielded

striking differences in how well they

performed in low Americans they did two

and a half times more anagrams when they

got to choose them as compared to when

it was chosen for them by Miss Smith or

their mothers it didn't matter who did

the choosing if the task was dictated by

another their performance suffered in

fact some of the kids were visibly

embarrassed when they were told that

their mothers had been consulted one

girl named Mary said you asked my mother

in contrast Asian American children

performed best when they believed their

mothers had made the choice second best

when they chose for themselves and least

well when it had been chosen by Miss

Smith a girl named Natsume even

approached Miss Smith as she was leaving

the room and tugged on her skirt and

asked could you please tell my mommy I

did it just like she said the first

generation children were strongly

influenced by their immigrant parents

approach to choice for them choice was

not just a way of defining and asserting

their individuality but a way to create

community and harmony by deferring to

the choices of people who may trust it

and respect it if they had a concept of

being true to oneself then that self

most likely composed not of an

individual but of a collective success

was just as much about pleasing key

figures as it was about satisfying one's

own preferences or you could say that

the individuals preferences were shaped

by

preferences of specific others the

assumption then that we do best when the

individual self chooses only holes when

that self is clearly divided from others

when in contrast two or more individuals

see their choices and their outcomes as

intimately connected then they may

amplify one another success by turning

choosing into a collective act to insist

that they choose independently might

actually compromise both their

performance and their relationships yet

that is exactly what the American

paradigm demands it leaves little room

for interdependence or an

acknowledgement of individual phal

ability it requires that everyone treat

choice as a private and self defining

act people that have grown up in such a

paradigm might find it motivating but it

is a mistake to assume that everyone

thrives under the pressure of choosing

alone the second assumption which

informs the American view of choice goes

something like this the more choices you

have the more likely you are to make the

best choice so bring it on Walmart with

a hundred thousand different products

Amazon with 27 million bucks and

match.com with what is it 15 million

date possibilities now you will surely

find the perfect match let's test this

assumption by heading over to Eastern

Europe here I interviewed people who

were residents of formerly communist

countries we'd all face the challenge of

transitioning to a more democratic and

capitalistic society one of the most

interesting revelations came not from an

answer to a question but from a simple

gesture of hospitality when the

participants arrived for their interview

I offered them a set of drinks coke dyed

coke sprite

seven to be exact during the very first

session which was run in Russia what are

the participants made

comment that really caught me off guard

oh but it doesn't matter it's all just

soda that's just one choice I was so

struck by this comment that from then on

I started to offer all the participants

those seven sodas and I asked them how

many choices are these again and again

they perceived these seven different

sodas not as seven choices but as one

choice soda or no soda when I put out

juice and water in addition to these

seven sodas now they perceived it as

Billy three choices juice water and soda

compare this to the die-hard devotion of

many Americans not just to a particular

flavor of soda but to a particular brand

you know research shows repeatedly that

we can't actually tell the difference

between Coke and Pepsi of course you and

I know that Coke is the better choice

for modern Americans who are exposed to

more options and more ads associated

with options than anyone else in the

world choice is just as much about who

they are as it is about what the product

is combine this with the assumption that

more choices are always better and you

have a group of people for whom every

little difference matters and so every

choice matters but for Eastern Europeans

the sudden availability of all these

consumer products on the marketplace was

a deluge

they were flooded with choice before

they could protest that they did not

swim when asked what words and images do

you associate with choice

greggers from Warsaw said ah for me it

is fear there are some dilemmas you see

I am used to no choice Bohdan from Kiev

said in response to how we felt about

the new consumer marketplace is too much

we do not need everything that is there

a sociologist from the Warsaw survey

agency explained the older generation

jumped from nothing to choice all around

them they were never given a chance to

learn how to react and Tomas a young

Polish man said I do not need twenty

kinds of chewing gum I don't mean to say

that I want no choice but many of these

choices are quite artificial in reality

many choices are between things that are

not that much different the value of

choice depends on our ability to

perceive differences between the options

Americans train their whole lives to

play spot the difference they practice

this from such an early age that they've

come to believe that everyone must be

born with this ability in fact though

all humans share a basic need and desire

for choice we don't all see choice in

the same places or to the same extent

when someone can't see how one choice is

unlike another when there are too many

choices to compare and contrast the

process of choosing can be confused

and frustrated instead of making better

choices we've become overwhelmed by

choice

sometimes even afraid of it choice no

longer offers opportunities but imposes

constraints it's not a marker of

liberation but of suffocation by

meaningless minutiae in other words

choice can develop into the very

opposite of everything it represents in

America when it is thrust upon those who

are insufficiently prepared for it but

it is not only other people in other

places that are feeling the pressure of

ever-increasing choice Americans

themselves are discovering that

unlimited choice seems more attractive

in theory than in practice we all have

physical mental and emotional and

emotional limitations that make it

impossible for us to process every

single choice we encounter even in the

grocery store let alone over the course

of our entire lives a number of my

studies have shown that when you give

people 10 or more options when they're

making a choice they make poor decisions

whether it be health care investment

other critical areas it's still many of

us believe that we should make all our

own choices and seek out even more of

them this brings me to the third and

perhaps most problematic assumption you

must never say no to choice to examine

is let's go back to the US and then hop

across the pond to France right outside

Chicago a young couple Susan and Daniel

Mitchell were about to have their first

baby they'd already picked out a name

for her Barbara after her grandmother

one night when Susan was 7 months

pregnant she started to experience

contractions and was rushed to the

emergency room the baby was delivered

through a c-section

but Barbara suffered cerebral anoxia a

loss of oxygen to the brain unable to

breathe on her own she was put on a

ventilator

two days later the doctors gave the

Mitchells a choice they could either

remove Barbara off the life support in

which case she would die within a matter

of hours or they could keep her on life

support in which case she might still

die within a matter of days if she

survived she would remain in a permanent

vegetative state never able to walk talk

or interact with others what do they do

what do any parent do in a study I

conducted with Simona Botti and Cristina

or folly American and French parents

were interviewed they had all suffered

the same tragedy in all cases the life

support was removed and the infants had

died but there was a big difference in

France the doctors decided whether and

when the life support would be removed

while in the United States the final

decision rested with the parents we

wondered does this have an effect on how

the parents cope with the loss of their

loved one we found that it did even up

to a year later American parents were

more likely to express negative emotions

as compared to their French counterparts

French parents were more likely to say

things like no one was here for so

little time but he taught us so much he

gave us a new perspective on life

American parents were more likely to say

things like what if what if another

parents complained I feel as if they

purposely tortured me how did they get

meted to that and another parent said I

feel as if I've played a role in an

execution but when the American parents

were asked if they would rather have had

the doctors make the decision they all

said no they could not

imagine turning that choice over to

another even though having made that

choice made them feel trapped guilty

angry in a number of cases they were

even clinically depressed these parents

could not contemplate giving up the

choice because to do so would have gone

contrary to everything they had been

taught and everything they had come to

believe about the power and purpose of

choice in her essay the White Album Joan

Didion writes we tell ourselves stories

in order to live we interpret what we

see select the most workable of the

multiple choices we live entirely by the

imposition of a narrative line upon

disparate images by the idea with which

we learn to freeze the shifting

phantasmagoria which is our actual

experience the story Americans tell the

story upon which the American Dream

depends is the story of limitless choice

this narrative promises so much freedom

happiness success it lays the world at

your feet and says you can have anything

everything it's a great story and it's

understandable why they would be

reluctant to revise it but when you take

a close look you start to see the holes

and you start to see that the story can

be told in many other ways Americans

have so often tried to disseminate their

ideas of choice believing that they will

be or ought to be welcomed with open

hearts and minds but the history books

and the daily news tell us it doesn't

always work out that way the fence has

magorium the actual experience that we

try to understand and organize through

narrative varies from place to place

no single narrative serves

needs of everyone everywhere moreover

Americans themselves could benefit from

incorporating new perspectives into

their own narrative which has been

driving their choices for so long

Robert Frost once said that it is poetry

that is lost in translation this

suggests that whatever is beautiful and

moving whatever gives us a new way to

see cannot be communicated to those who

speak a different language but Joseph

Brodsky said that it is poetry that is

gained in translation suggesting the

translation can be a creative

transformative act when it comes to

choice we have far more to gain than to

lose by engaging in the many

translations of the narratives instead

of replacing one story with another we

can learn from and revel in the many

versions that exist and the many that

have yet to be written no matter where

we're from and what your narrative is we

all have a responsibility to open

ourselves up to a wider array of what

choice can do and what it can represent

and this does not lead to a paralyzing

moral relativism rather it teaches us

when and how to act it brings us that

much closer to realizing the full

potential of choice to inspiring the

hope and achieving the freedom that

choice promises but doesn't always

deliver if we learn to speak to one

another albeit through translation then

we can begin to see choice and all its

strangeness complexity and compelling

beauty thank you

Thank You Sheena there is a detail that

about your biography that we have not

written in the program book but by now

it's evident to everyone in this room

you're blind and I guess one of the

questions in everybody's mind is how

does that influence your study of

choosing because that's an activity that

for most people is associated with

visual inputs like aesthetics and color

and and so on

well it's funny that you should ask that

because one of the things that's

interesting about being blind is you

actually get a different vantage point

when you observe other the way sighted

people make choices and as you just

mentioned these lots of choices out

there that are very visual these days

yeah I like you know as you would expect

get pretty frustrated by choices like

what nail polish color to put on because

I have to rely on what other people

suggest right and I can't decide and so

one time I was in a beauty salon and I

was trying to decide between two very

light shades of pink and one was called

ballet slippers and the other one was

called adorable

and so I asked these two ladies in the

one lady told me well you should

definitely wear ballet slippers but what

does it look like well it's a very

elegant shade of pink okay great the

other lady tells me to wear adorable

what does it look like it's a glamorous

shade of pink and so I asked him well

how do I tell them apart what's

different about them and they said well

one is elegant the other one's glamorous

okay we got that and the only thing they

had consensus on well if I could see

them I would clearly be able to tell

them apart and what I wondered was

whether they were being affected by the

name or the constants of the color so I

decided to do a little experiment so I

brought these little these two bottles

of nail polish into the laboratory and I

stripped the labels off and I brought

women into the laboratory and I asked

them which one would you pick 50% of the

women accused me of playing a trick of

putting the same colored nail polish in

both those bottles

yeah I wish when you start to wonder who

the Trix really played on now of the of

the women that could tell them apart

when the labels were off they picked

adorable and when the nabel's when the

labels were on they picked ballet

slippers so as far as I can tell a rose

by any other name probably does look

different and maybe even smells

different