[originaltext] W: How was your holiday? Not too many other tourists around,

W: How was your holiday? Not too many other tourists around, were there?
    M: No, very few, relatively. But I found myself moving from one accommodation to another, trying to find the perfect place.  It made me realize that indecision is a big problem for me. Instead of relaxing, I was looking for the best spot.
    W: It seems you suffer from "Fear of Better Options." I’ve read about it. It describes this loop of indecision as part of our programming. Essentially, we have this tendency to keep stretching out the decision-making process. Because as human beings, we are hard-wired to optimize. We have always looked to get the best things we can as a sort of survival of the fittest. Optimizing isn’t the problem, but rather the process that we go through.
    M: Well, that makes me feel better. But I think thanks to technology, we can make comparisons more easily and have more access to choose and customization. We can now see what we could have, how we might get it and what others have that we might want. We keep looking over and return to the same options again and again.
    W: Yes. Fear of better options offers little benefit. It’s an ailment of abundance. You must have choices to have that fear of missing out on better options.
    M: Yes, I need to note when I’m worrying about inconsequential things, I guess. If I’m spending too much time worrying over what to have for lunch, I’m robbing myself of the energy to focus on the things that matter.
    W: Exactly. But for more important matters, I think gut instinct might be overrated. When you have 30 odd options, trusting your gut is not practical. What you need to do is research—have a process, invest time exploring your options, and eliminate as many things as you can. The most toxic part of decision making is going over the same options time and time again.
    Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
    5. What does the man say about his holiday?
    6. What does the woman say people tend to do when making decisions?
    7. What has made decision making increasingly difficult?
    8. According to the woman, what should people do when making important decisions?