Decision Fatigue: Why Too Many Choices Exhaust You

At a glance: Decision fatigue is the mental and physical exhaustion that builds up when you have to make too many choices, leaving you overwhelmed, stuck in indecision, or making rushed decisions just to make the feeling stop. Clinical psychologist Dr. Jen Hartstein told NBC News that we are experiencing it more today because there are simply more decisions to make, from streaming platforms to food options, and social media, ads, and influencers keep piling on. The way out is to reduce the number of choices you face, make the call, and let it go.

Decisions, decisions. From what to wear in the morning to which show to stream at night, even the simplest choices can start to feel like a full-time job. And with what seems like endless options everywhere we turn, experts say more and more of us are experiencing decision fatigue.

To put it in perspective: researchers at Cornell University found that the average person makes about 227 decisions about food alone every single day. That is before you get to work, family, money, or anything else on your plate.

Dr. Jen Hartstein, clinical psychologist and founder of Hartstein Psychological Services in New York City, recently joined NBC News to break down what decision fatigue actually is, why so many of us are feeling it right now, and how to break the cycle.

What is decision fatigue?

Decision fatigue is what happens when we become overwhelmed by choices and get stuck in a state of indecision. As Dr. Jen explains, it is not just “in your head.” The constant weighing of options creates real mental and physical exhaustion. By the end of the day, you may find yourself unable to make even a small decision, or making a rushed choice just to make the feeling stop.

Why are we experiencing more decision fatigue now?

The short answer: there are simply more decisions to make. We have more streaming platforms, more food options, more products, more everything, and it is all being pushed at us constantly.

Social media makes it worse. Not only are there more choices, but now we are also watching other people make theirs. Ads and influencers are constantly telling us to buy this, try that, do it this way instead. We cannot get away from it. The result is that many of us end up caught in a loop of indecision, spinning in a whirlwind of options, unable to say “this is my call” and let it go.

Signs you may have decision fatigue

Common signs include feeling drained by small choices like what to eat or wear, putting off decisions or avoiding them altogether, second-guessing choices you have already made, making impulsive decisions late in the day just to get them over with, and feeling irritable or mentally foggy after a day full of choices.