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Modern and Traditional Japanese Culture: The Psychology of Buddhism, Power Rangers, Masked Rider, Manga, Anime and Shinto. 在日イギリス人男性による日本文化論.

Tuesday, February 09, 2021

 

Choice is a Chore

Stop! You don't need to choose

A poster in a convenience store promoting the store-brewed coffee over the wide variety of canned an bottled prepared coffee in the refrigerator, implying a negative, troublesome side to choice, which Japanese are more keenly aware of (Markus & Schwartz, 2010) but also leads to non-optimal outcomes in the West too (Schwartz & Ward, 2004).

My translation of the poster

No need to choose.
No need to search.
Just ask at the till ♡
You'll soon be able to drink  ♡
Our specialty taste ♡

High-street Cafe
100 Yen Ice Coffee
Please order at the till.
 
The second, transparent poster says that customers can collect stamps by purchasing the drinks in the fridge.

Bibliography
Markus, H. R., & Schwartz, B. (2010). Does Choice mean Freedom and Well-Being?. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(2), 344-355.
Schwartz, B., & Ward, A. (2004). Doing Better but Feeling Worse: The paradox of choice. Positive psychology in practice, 86-104.

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This blog represents the opinions of the author, Timothy Takemoto, and not the opinions of his employer.