---
title: Herbert Simon on Information
date: "2005-12-14T12:00:00Z"
categories:
  - links
wp_id: 468
description: I explore Herbert Simon’s insight that a wealth of information consumes recipient attention, creating scarcity. I compare this to the "tyranny of choice," where an overabundance of options leads to decision regret and decreased satisfaction.
keywords: [herbert simon, attention economy, information overload, tyranny of choice, decision making, psychology]
---

Quote by [Herbert Simon on Information](http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2005/12/herb_simon_on_attention.html):

> What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it.

It sounds quite like the Scientific American article [The Tyranny of Choice](http://www.sciamdigital.com/browse.cfm?ITEMIDCHAR=3BA534FE-2B35-221B-67FAC21221784170&methodnameCHAR=&interfacenameCHAR=browse.cfm&ISSUEID_CHAR=3B8A9274-2B35-221B-63A60F782CAB6E84&ArticleTypeSubInclude_BIT=0&sequencenameCHAR=itemP) which says that after a point, more choice causes unhappiness. The satisfaction of picking the best choice is less, because the second best is almost as good. And you're more likely to not pick the best -- because there are so many choices -- and will regret it more often.

---

## Comments

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- **Anonymous** _14 Dec 2005 9:52 pm_:
  date is wrong
- **S Anand** _15 Dec 2005 12:37 pm_:
  Just fixed it. Thanks!

<!-- wp-comments-end -->