Shadowing Practice: SEtalk: Why Too Many Choices Make Us Unhappy - Learn English Speaking with Video
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1
How long did it take you to choose your last phone?
2
For me, buying a pair of headphones once took three weeks.
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I'm not joking — I actually made a spreadsheet!
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Today, I want to explain why that happens to so many of us.
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It was two in the morning, and I was still reading reviews.
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There were over two hundred models, so I was spoilt for choice.
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Whenever I found a good pair, I'd spot a better one,
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so I'd keep on looking.
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By the time I finally ordered some, I'd lost all interest.
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I'd spent three weeks choosing, and I wasn't even happy.
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It turns out I'm not alone.
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In 2000, a jam-tasting table was set up in a California supermarket.
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Sometimes the table had twenty-four flavours, and sometimes just six.
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The big table attracted more shoppers, which isn't surprising.
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But only three percent of them actually bought a jar!
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At the small table, ten times as many people bought jam!
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The study suggested that too much choice can stop us from choosing.
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Later studies pointed out that it isn't always this strong,
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but it keeps showing up when the choice is complicated.
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And what happens when we do manage to choose?
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Psychologist Barry Schwartz describes two kinds of people.
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Maximizers are people who have to find the very best option.
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Satisficers stop searching as soon as something is good enough.
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A 2006 study followed students who were looking for their first job.
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The maximizers ended up with salaries about twenty percent higher.
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Yet they felt worse about the jobs they'd accepted!
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They were more anxious, and they kept doubting their decision.
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Options seem endless, so we assume the perfect one exists.
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We can't stop thinking that another choice might have been better.
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These days, I've become a proud satisficer.
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I choose three options, and I give myself one evening.
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Last month, I bought a new laptop in under an hour!
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It probably isn't the best one, but I love it.
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If you had only three options, you'd decide in minutes,
35
and you'd probably feel happier, too.
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So next time you're stuck, make your list shorter.
37
Good enough is often exactly what we need.
38
Thank you, and good luck with your next choice!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “SEtalk: Why Too Many Choices Make Us Unhappy”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: choice, option, table, choose, bought. This video has 38 sentences and 374 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:14. The speaker talks at a natural 167 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 82% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 12 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| maximizer noun | A person who or thing that maximizes. | |
| satisficer noun | One who satisfices (rather than optimizes). | |
| shopper noun | /ˈʃɑ.pɚ/ | A person who shops. |
| spreadsheet noun | /ˈspɹɛd.ʃit/ | A computer application for organization, analysis, and storage of data in tabular form. |
| flavour noun | British standard spelling of flavor. | |
| supermarket noun | /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/ | A large self-service store that sells groceries and, usually, medications, household goods, and/or clothing. |
| psychologist noun | /ˌsaɪˈkɑl.ə.d͡ʒɪst/ | An expert in the field of psychology. |
| spoil noun | /spɔɪl/ | Plunder taken from an enemy or victim. |
| headphones noun | /ˈhɛdfoʊnz/ | A pair of cushioned speakers worn over or in the ears so only the wearer can hear the sound. |
| joking verb | /ˈd͡ʒoʊkɪŋ/ | Kidding, trying to fool. |
| anxious adjective | /ˈæŋkʃəs/ | Nervous and worried. |
| endless adjective | /ˈɛndlɪs/ | Having no end. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| point out verb | To identify among a group of similar subjects, or in a scene where the subject might not be readily seen or noticed, with a gesture of the body. |
| show up verb | To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically. |
| turn out verb | To end up; to result. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- How long did it take you to choose your last phone?
- I'm not joking — I actually made a spreadsheet!
- It turns out I'm not alone.
- These days, I've become a proud satisficer.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 16 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'd, isn't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shopper /ˈʃɑ.pɚ/, spreadsheet /ˈspɹɛd.ʃit/, anxious /ˈæŋkʃəs/
- Long words — get the stress right: supermarket /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/, psychologist /ˌsaɪˈkɑl.ə.d͡ʒɪst/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like maximizer, satisficer, shopper.
Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?
Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.