VOA标准英语2010年-How We Choose Varies by Culture

New book examines 'The Art of Choosing,' from marriage partners to candy bars

Adam Philips | New York 29 March 2010

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Link to Book
Sheena Iyengar

Every human being makes thousands, perhaps millions, of choices over the course of a lifetime, and each one has some kind of personal and social impact.

"Choice is essentially¹ the only tool we have that enables us to go from who we are today to who we want to be tomorrow," says Sheena Iyengar, whose book, "The Art of Choosing," sums up over 15 years of her research on the subject.

Iyengar examines how we make important life decisions, like who to marry, as well as seemingly trivial choices such as which kind of candy bar or soft drink to buy.

Greg Martin
Sheena Iyengar, author of 'The Art of Choosing'

"Choice is what enables us to do things," says Iyengar. She believes the universal values of love of freedom and control over one's life and surroundings, inform all of our choice-making decisions.

"No human being says, 'enslave me.' No country says, 'conquer me.' We all look to choice to give us control." Iyengar believes how that control gets practiced and exercised in our lives is culturally determined². "We are taught from the moment we're born how to think about choice and how to practice it." 

Desire to choose is universal, how we choose varies by culture

A 1995 psychology³ experiment Iyengar conducted with American and Japanese university students bears out her point.

 

When the American students were asked which concepts they associated with the word "choice," they cited terms like independence, possibility, opportunity and dream - especially "the American Dream."

'The Art of Choosing' suggests the desire to choose is universal, but how we choose varies by culture.

"When you ask the Japanese or the Chinese," reports Iyengar, "they think of responsibility, burden and anxiety. They see choice as something that requires a lot of effort and has a lot of potential consequences associated with it."  

Put another way, people in Asian cultures tend to place greater emphasis on how their choices will affect others. People in the West tend to give more weight to what they want for themselves personally.

Growing up in a traditional Sikh-American home while attending American schools, Iyengar learned to navigate⁵ these differences early on.  

"They were two totally different mindsets," she says. "So there was always this conflict about which one you give precedence to, in what context."

Courtesy: Sheena Iyengar
After growing up in a traditional Sikh-American home, the author chose an American-style 'love marriage' rather than an arranged one like her parents.

In her own life, Iyengar chose the American way with a "love marriage" rather an arranged one, as her parents did. She and her husband are teaching their 5-year-old to balance his own preferences against a deep respect for his elders' view of what is best for him. It's a balance reflected in the title of her new book.

"'The art of choosing, as I define it, is the ability to understand and accept our limitations and, at the same time, take advantage of the possibilities before us," says Iyengar.

Choosing well can be a complex process

Choice is a complex process. That's one reason psychologists, anthropologists, economists⁶, political scientists and other experts have all weighed in on how it works. Indeed choice is so complex, says Iyengar, that doing it well takes both time and effort.

"You have to consult your gut⁷, which tells you how you feel. Then you have to engage your reasoned analysis, which tells you all those pros⁸ and cons⁴." It also pays to consult others, to get more information and to compensate⁹ for your own biases¹⁰. "Only then can you really make a quote, 'informed choice.'"   

Poorly informed choices can cause suffering on a global scale. Iyengar points to the global financial crisis as an example. In her view, it was set in motion largely by corporations that chose to sell home mortgages to people they knew could not afford them, and by people who chose to buy homes they couldn't pay for.

Both groups were acting¹¹ on an economic model that automatically put short-term self interest ahead of long-term consequences.

"But why can't people be taught about how to think about self interest in a more long-term way?" Iyengar asks. "If we think more carefully about this tool called 'choice,' we can actually improve our lives both as individuals as well as a society."   
 

1 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

2 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

3 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

4 cons   

n.欺骗，骗局( con的名词复数 )v.诈骗，哄骗( con的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

6 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 gut   

n.[pl.]胆量；内脏；adj.本能的；vt.取出内脏

参考例句：

• It is not always necessary to gut the fish prior to freezing.冷冻鱼之前并不总是需要先把内脏掏空。
• My immediate gut feeling was to refuse.我本能的直接反应是拒绝。

8 pros   

abbr.prosecuting 起诉；prosecutor 起诉人；professionals 自由职业者；proscenium （舞台）前部n.赞成的意见( pro的名词复数 )；赞成的理由；抵偿物；交换物

参考例句：

• The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 compensate   

vt.补偿，赔偿；酬报 vi.弥补；补偿；抵消

参考例句：

• She used her good looks to compensate her lack of intelligence. 她利用她漂亮的外表来弥补智力的不足。
• Nothing can compensate for the loss of one's health. 一个人失去了键康是不可弥补的。

10 biases   

偏见( bias的名词复数 )； 偏爱； 特殊能力； 斜纹

参考例句：

• Stereotypes represent designer or researcher biases and assumptions, rather than factual data. 它代表设计师或者研究者的偏见和假设，而不是实际的数据。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• The net effect of biases on international comparisons is easily summarized. 偏差对国际比较的基本影响容易概括。

11 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。