The action of carefully choosing items from a larger group. Things that have been chosen or picked out.
From Latin 'selectio,' from 'seligere' meaning to choose or pick out (se- apart + legere to choose). The word entered English in the 17th century through French influence on scholarly vocabulary.
Natural selection, Darwin's key mechanism of evolution, uses this same root concept - nature 'selects' favorable traits. The paradox of choice suggests that too many selections can actually decrease satisfaction and increase anxiety, which is why some successful companies deliberately limit options.
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