A perfectly orchestrated backyard party took an ugly turn as the bounce house emptied all 15 little friends who, joined by twice as many adults, gathered around to watch the 5-year-old open a mountain ...

Ever feel overwhelmed by too many choices. Psychology's Hick's Law explains this, stating more options mean longer decision times and increased mental effort. Our brains struggle with information ...

Federal law permits people to take their phone numbers with them if they switch cell phone service. It's nice to have more flexibility—but is this really what we need? Already, getting phone service ...

Despite these successes, economic reasoning generally and markets in particular have been under attack for centuries for getting choices “wrong.” An early wave of criticism, only now receding, ...

Do you ever wonder just how many decisions you make every day? It's about 35,000 for the average adult, according to researchers. And that estimate only factors in your conscious choices. From simple ...

The holiday season is supposed to be the most lucrative, feel-good period in retail. Yet for many consumers, it’s no longer synonymous with joy but with stress. What once felt like a festive treasure ...

Are the many choices offered to consumers becoming detrimental to the health of a retailer’s business? Barry Schwartz, a professor at Swarthmore College and author of “The Paradox of Choice,” thinks ...

Recently, I was near a toy section at Walmart and overheard a father and young son talking. Evidently the boy had some birthday money burning a hole in his pocket and Dad showed a lot of patience ...

Dear Annie: Why do Americans have so many ice cream products? This week, I went to the supermarket, and there were 10 new ice creams to choose from, and I was just about to finish off trying them all ...

Do you ever wonder just how many decisions you make every day? It's about 35,000 for the average adult, according to researchers. And that estimate only factors in your conscious choices. From simple ...