I’ve been living in the U.S. for two years now, an experience that continues to teach me lessons about myself. The latest: Apparently there is such a thing as a default language, and it can change, which makes things really confusing.

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This happens to me a lot. I go into a store with the intent of buying something. Let’s say a pair of pants. And more times than not, I go home empty handed. Why is that?

I spend a lot of time weighing the pros and cons of a buying decision. And I don’t mean things like a car or a house. Those too, of course. But I mean things like the above mentioned pair of pants. Or a home stereo. Or ice cream.

I took this picture today, in a Ventura grocery store. This is just too much choice for me! When there are 23 different flavors and brands of chocolate ice cream, I will always wonder: “What if the flavor next to is better than the one that I just bought?” I will not be able to select a product and feel confident that I made the best possible choice.

I hate buyer’s remorse. Probably because I made too many bad buying decisions in the past. I wonder how much money I spent on purchases I later regretted? That dress shirt that ended up being just too small, the membership in an animal rescue club that I agreed on in the pedestrian zone, or the two liter bottle of tonic water.

I hate buyer’s remorse. I hate it so much, I’d rather walk out of a store than buy the pair of pants the fit decently.

[EDIT]:
Philip pointed out a TED video to me, which really hit the nail on the head:

tl;dr:
Why choices make people miserable:

• Regret and anticipated regret
• Opportunity costs
• Escalation of expectations
• Self-blame