How a tiny grocery store in France saved my mental health from the ‘Freedom of Choice’ trap.
You don’t need fifty types of cereal, you need a personality.
I used to think walking into a massive U.S. supermarket was the pinnacle of human civilization.
Thirty feet of cereal. An entire aisle of yogurt. Another one for just for cookies. An international section from Taco Shells to Sushi Wraps that could feed a small nation.
“Freedom of Choice,” we call it.
The ultimate American flex.
We equate the number of options in the toothpaste aisle with our level of liberty.
Then I moved abroad and realized that “choice” is actually a slow-acting neurotoxin.
I walked into a local shop in a French village and nearly had a panic attack.
There were three types of cheese, another three for cured meats, one kind of milk, and whatever fruit didn’t look like a science experiment that week.
My first reaction was typical American entitlement: “This is a nightmare. Where is the rest of the stuff? How can these people live like this? Is there a shortage I wasn’t told about?”
My second reaction, exactly one week later, was a revelation: “I just finished my grocery shopping in six minutes, and I don’t feel like I just fought a war.”
The Decision Fatigue Trap: Psychologists call it the “Paradox of Choice.”
When you have two options, you pick one and move on.
When you have fifty, you spend twenty minutes comparing labels, second-guessing your “organic” credentials, and wondering if the other granola would have made you a more optimized human being.
You leave the store with a box of Wheaties and a massive hit of cortisol.
In the U.S., we are addicted to “More.”
More square footage, more car insurance options, more streaming services, more features on a toaster we only use for bread.
We think more options equal more freedom.
In reality, it just means more mental “tabs” left open in your brain at all times. It’s a constant, low-level drain on your nervous system.
Why ‘Less’ is the Ultimate Flex:
- Cognitive Load: When you simplify your environment, you free up massive amounts of bandwidth for things that actually matter. Like your career, your relationships, or just sitting on your backyard porch without thinking about your To-Do list.
- The Simplicity Compound: Simplicity isn’t a downgrade, it’s an upgrade to your peace of mind. By the time I left France, I realized I didn’t miss the “options.” I missed the time I used to spend choosing them.
We’ve been sold a lie that abundance equals happiness. But true abundance is having the mental space to enjoy your life, not spending your life choosing between 40 different brands of “all-natural” peanut butter.
Check out the other 6 habits I learned abroad:
7 Things Foreigners Do That Americans Think Are Weird… Until They Try Them
Still comparing 40 different cable TV plans or 20 different “smart” air fryers? You’re wasting the best years of your life.
Let’s jump on a quick 20 minute call if you’re ready to simplify your life for real abroad…
David Peluchette is a Premium Ghostwriter/Travel and Tech Enthusiast. When David isn’t writing he enjoys traveling, learning new languages, fitness, hiking and going on long walks (did the 550 mile Camino de Santiago, not once but twice!), cooking, eating, reading and building niche websites with WordPress.