The book that inspired Aziz Ansari's 'Master of None' shows how having too many options is screwing us up

In Barry Schwartz's seminal book, "The Paradox of Choice," we learn that while choice is a vital part of autonomy and fundamental to our well-being, too much choice has a cost, and our obsession with it contributes to bad decisions, anxiety, stress, dissatisfaction, and even depression.

The book is a clear influence on Aziz Ansari's new Netflix series, "Master of None," where we see numerous scenes of Ansari's character, Dev, the quintessential millennial, virtually paralyzed by choice, from choosing the best tacos to finding the ideal mate.

Ansari has a deep understanding of the modern tyranny of choice - he coauthored the book "Modern Romance" in July with NYU sociologist Eric Klinenberg about, in part, how today's proliferation of choices has a profound effect on our lives, and especially how we find love and interviews Schwartz about this conundrum.

In the book Ansari notes that it was quicker for his dad to find a wife 30 years ago - his father decided to marry his mother in an arranged marriage after briefly meeting with her and two other women - than it is for him to decide where to eat dinner.

"Whether it's where I'm eating, where I'm traveling, or, God forbid, something I'm buying, like a lot of people in my generation - those in their 20s and 30s - I feel compelled to do a ton of research to make sure I'm getting every option and then making the best choice," Ansari writes in a Time adaptation of his book, "Modern Romance."

Today's perils of choice come from every direction - almost every part of daily life requires us to choose. Here are some of the ways too many options mess with us, according to "The Paradox of Choice:"