I walked into the drugstore and instead of feeling empowered by options; I felt completely consumed by choice. Staring into the sea of makeup primer in fancy boxes, left me disoriented. Under the fluorescent light, I became less sure of which to choose with each promising to outperform its competitor; which always makes me suspicious.

There were different brands, of course, that all pretty much do the same thing. It dawned on me, that choice is an illusion that distracts us from our own rational sense of what is truly enough. This is an unhealthy practice. After all, more options aren’t necessarily synonymous with greater freedom or a greater stake in democracy.

We often fail to consider how consumption affects our sense of well being. In "The Paradox of Choice," the author Barry Schwartz argues that having too many options can lead to dissatisfaction, as we feel pressure to make the right choice and then second guess it (Schwartz). We put ourselves through significant emotional strain when making purchases.

Making a buying decision can be serious business, since we are raised to believe that what you buy says a lot about who you are. It becomes apparent that having more expensive items in our home gives us a greater sense of upward mobility, while buying cheaper items can reduce us to the lower echelons.

We are often led to believe that increased choice automatically leads to social progress, but this is not always the case. As Barry Schwartz explains; more options do not necessarily improve outcomes or satisfaction (Schwartz). This highlights the importance of maintaining a balance between having choices and becoming overwhelmed by them, particularly as consumers.

What we learn is that having options can be effective, until we start spending too much time trying to make a decision. There is a point I reach where I stop reading front labels; reducing the marketing efforts of corporations to a less complicated approach. I often find myself choosing randomly; which does a disservice to informed decision making.

It becomes apparent that options can diminish our sense of who we are by overwhelming us. While having a selection can be an indicator of our economic health, it can also impair our normal everday senses that we rely on. All of these products bidding for us to purchase, made me realize that we are being eroded by the onslaught of materiality.