Would a Traveler Sometimes Make a Better Decision by Comparing Less?
Comparison creates information, but it also consumes attention.
Sometimes. Additional comparisons can create diminishing returns and decision fatigue.
A traveler compares fifty hotels instead of choosing between five strong candidates.
The hidden mechanism is comparison saturation. New information becomes less valuable once the major differences have already been identified.
A micro-scene captures the trap: after two hours of research, the traveler feels less certain than at the beginning.
The goal of comparison is not to eliminate uncertainty. It is to reduce uncertainty enough to act.
