A few years ago, a researcher asked 100 American and Japanese college students to take a piece of paper. On one side, they wrote down the decisions in life they would like to make for themselves. On the other, they wrote the decisions they would like to pass on to others. The Americans filled up the side for decisions they want to decide for themselves. Where to live. What job to take. The other side was almost blank. The only "decision" they commonly wanted to hand off to others was, "When I die."

The Japanese filled up the back side of the sheet with things they wanted others to decide: what they wore; what time they woke up; what they did at their job. The Americans desired choice in four times more domains than the Japanese.

Based on this experiment, New York Times columnist David Brooks claims America is experiencing "a choice explosion." Brooks writes, "Americans now have more choices over more things than any other culture in human history. We can choose between a broader array of foods, media sources, lifestyles, and identities." In some ways this is a positive trend, but Brooks also cautions that it is "becoming incredibly important to learn to decide well."