Jean's Blog

The question is: Are you an expert?

Posted by Jean

The Sixperiment (Day 8: Khaki shorts, white tank, black cardigan, which is getting to feel like a uniform) is going well.  I don’t feel compelled to talk about what I am wearing today, let alone really think about it.  That may be because my house was hit by lightning over the weekend and after dealing with a stream of very nice repair folk and contractors – electrician, cable/internet/phone, appliance installer (the washer and microwave got fried), alarm system (ditto the smoke alarms, though we didn’t have a fire), etc. – I am exhausted.  But it also may be because I am not a fashion expert. 
 
Columbia University’s Sheena Iyengar, author of The Art of Choosing explains that in a universe in which you are an expert, you tend to have a really good understanding of what all the options are.  In that case more options are good.  If you are Bobbi Thomas doing a story on the latest in non-Mom jeans, or Stacy London doing a piece on the best pieces to take on your vacation, you want many choices.  “As an expert you understand and know about the various choices,” Iyengar says.  “And you’ve developed informed intuition so that you know the right choices when they present themselves.”   Think of a chess master contemplating his next move.  Depending where you are in the game there can be millions, but the chess master zeroes in on the handful that are really relevant.
 
But in an area in which you’re not an expert – like fashion, for me – where you don’t know how to categorize all of the options and sort the wheat from the chaff, more than 10, Iyengar says, is too many.  “Memory wise you are not going to be able to keep track.”   That’s why, she explains, in a typical woman’s wardrobe (“unless she’s really into clothes”) she isn’t really making use of all of her clothing options, but perhaps 50 percent.   Many women do this unknowingly, Iyengar says.  It’s when you do know that it becomes problematic.  “To the extent that she’s aware she’s not making use of her available options, she’ll get frustrated. “  That’s why cleaning out your closet often feels so good!