These days, there are so many choices to labor through, from the most basic, such as paper or plastic at thegrocery(食品杂货店)checkout counter, to the nearly suicide-inducing, such as the friends-and-family plan or unlimited texting.
In these tough times, the abundance of life-changing decisions—finances, health care, career moves—can beoverwhelming(压倒性的,势不可挡的). But don’t take it from me. Ask the guy who wrote the book The Psychology of Judgment and Decision Making. That would be Scott Plous, a psychology professor at Wesleyan University. “There’s no question that we have more choices than ever before, Plous agreed. “And decisions are generally harder and more time-consuming when there are lots of alternatives.
Even Steve Jobs, whose technology allows us the misery of 18,000 music selections in our pockets, has to counteract so many choices by wearing the same outfit—blue jeans, blackturtleneck(高领翻毛衣), New Balance sneakers—every single day of his life. With every move you make, you’re bombarded withpredicaments(窘况,困境)from the banal to the extraordinary, and you obviously can’t trust yourself to make the right decisions anymore—look where that’s gotten you.
I know I’m not alone in this. We’re all feeling a little needy. Whom can we turn to? Friends and family always have their own agendas; therapists are useless. So, who’s left?
Strangers, of course. They’re everywhere.
“Excuse me, I said to the woman behind me one morning in the queue at Dunkin’ Donuts. “I’m currently asking strangers to make all my decisions. Would you mind picking out a dozendoughnuts(甜甜圈)for me?
“I’ll order two, but then you’re on your own, she said.
“Never mind.
Everyone knows the first two doughnuts are the easy ones.
“I’ll do it, but you’ll have to tell me what you like, agangly(身材瘦长的)woman who had overheard theprevious exchange said.
“Thanks, but that kind of defeats my purpose, I responded. “As long as you’re paying, a thick-armed guy shrugged at me just as it was his turn to order.
He attacked the chore withglee(快乐,欢欣). His choices were a blur of glaze and frosting. He stopped only once, looked back at me and said, “Sprinkles, two sprinkles, and they fell into the box with the majesty of a fireworks grand finale.
It was a win-win, a successful random act ofindecision(优柔寡断,犹豫不决)(RAI). And I was striking a blow for science. “Your experiment will reveal how much pleasure in a dessert comes from it simply being a dessert, rather than a dessert that you would have chosen, Plous had observed. “In many cases, the difference in benefit between two choices is smaller than we’d guess.
This may be the best idea I’ve ever had. For two weeks, Irelinquished(放弃,放手)control over my decisions. I turned thereins(肾脏,腰部)over to perfect strangers.
At a Starbucks, I wasperspiring(流汗)heavily from a bike ride when I started to ask the woman beside me what I wanted to drink. She cut me off midway through myspiel(流利夸张的讲话)about how I was conducting a social experiment andwhatnot(放古董的架子,不可名状的东西).
“Just have a water, she said, snatching a bottle from the front case and thrusting it at me.
She herself ordered something that took thebarista(咖啡师)11 moves to make, but I was suddenly a model of simplicity: a sweaty man drinking cold water.
Moments later, I asked a man at the newsstand if I should become a night shaver instead of a morning shaver. I always wanted to be a night shaver—go to bed cleanly shaven and wake up with sexystubble(发茬,须茬)that would bealluring(诱惑的)until at least noon and...
“Absolutely not, the gentleman said.
I’m sure he’s right.
Later in the day, when I asked a sandy-haired woman at Old Navy to pick out a shirt for me, she quickly devoted herself to the cause.
“I want you to have acrisper(保鲜盒), cleaner look, she exclaimed.
I was still feeling crisp and clean when I stopped at the library. The mission: to give a stranger the chore of selecting a book for me to read.
“You sure? Picking out a book... that’s kind of an intimate decision, the chosen one said. She was sitting at a tiny table with a little boy and looking up at me as if I were one more irritation in an already long day. But once I said I was positive, she popped up as if she’d just adopted me.
上一篇: Miracle happens
下一篇: My love tree
迪士尼还将把哪些经典动画翻拍成真人电影
国内英语资讯:Xi extends condolences to Egypts Sisi over deadly train collision
国内英语资讯:China resolutely opposes U.S. provocation in South China Sea: spokesperson
国内英语资讯:Chinese top legislator meets Croatian parliament speaker
体坛英语资讯:Madrid coach Zidane confirms new contract
体坛英语资讯:Applesauce becomes decathlons key to success
体坛英语资讯:Qatar wins first gold, American Muhammad sets 400m hurdles WR in Doha
国内英语资讯:Chinese premier calls for joint efforts to keep East Asian cooperation on right track
国内英语资讯:Central delegation wraps up Inner Mongolia trip
大型防晒喷雾机,10秒钟搞定全身!
体坛英语资讯:Murray out, Barty & Osaka through to China Open semifinals
《金刚:骷髅岛》电影精讲(视频)
英语美文:不幸,让人更懂得爱
体坛英语资讯:Chinese third leg runner gets hit on head in 4x100m final
英国王室着装守则大揭秘
北京小区现“共享健身仓”
体坛英语资讯:Peng Cheng/Jin Yang win pairs figure skating at 2019 Shanghai Trophy
体坛英语资讯:Kenyans shine at IAAF worlds in London
手机的电量越来越少?这并不是你的错觉
老外在中国:掌握汉语竟能如此简单
体坛英语资讯:Vietnam eyes 4 Karate golds at SEA Games
做个成年人有哪些好处?
Verge, fringe, brink and border 四个表示“边缘”的名词
关于凯特王妃的第三胎,英国人先掐起架来了
国内英语资讯:China calls on U.S., DPRK to refrain from escalating tensions on Korean Peninsula
体坛英语资讯:Sad endings for Bolt and Farah as London worlds continue to surprise
国内英语资讯:China, Pakistan vow to further deepen bilateral pragmatic cooperation
体坛英语资讯:Kenyan elections overshadow global athletics games
日本酒馆生意经:可爱的猴子当服务员,香蕉变工资
体坛英语资讯:World champions make successful defense in 200m, hammer, Reese nails 4th world long jump tit