EPISODE · May 26, 2026 · 24 MIN
Feature Interview: Why having endless choices isn't good for us
from Afternoons
We hear it all the time, that the secret to creativity and innovation is the ability to think outside the box. We live in a culture built around endless choice and the idea that the perfect one is out there if we just keep searching long enough. But all that searching can come at a cost. Science writer and journalist David Epstein says more and more research is showing that too much freedom can be well, too much and guardrails are essential for success. In his new book, Epstein highlights the unexpected creative power of boundaries, ordinary ambitions, and the obstacles we usually try to avoid. The book is called Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better.
What this episode covers
We hear it all the time, that the secret to creativity and innovation is the ability to think outside the box. We live in a culture built around endless choice and the idea that the perfect one is out there if we just keep searching long enough. But all that searching can come at a cost. Science writer and journalist David Epstein says more and more research is showing that too much freedom can be well, too much and guardrails are essential for success. In his new book, Epstein highlights the unexpected creative power of boundaries, ordinary ambitions, and the obstacles we usually try to avoid. The book is called Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better.
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Feature Interview: Why having endless choices isn't good for us
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