ESE SEBRAE 2019 — Questão 21 · Língua Inglesa - Compreensão e Interpretação de Texto

Para responder às questões de 16 a 25, considere o texto abaixo:

Do you have Fobo?

01 Every day we make thousands of decisions. From the more trivial – The Crown or

02 Succession? – to the more pivotal, like whether you should take that job or stay in

03 that relationship. It doesn’t help that, these days, we have thousands of options – literally –

04 at our fingertips. For instance, there are 5863 movies and TV shows on Netflix to choose from

05 and more than 80,000 different drink options at Starbucks.

06 Given we are so spoiled for choice, some degree of fence-sitting is understanding. However,

07 if you find yourself crippled with indecision, even when, say, all the available options are

08 acceptable, you might be suffering from Fobo. Like Fomo, Fobo’s anxious sibling, which

09 describes that icky feeling we get when we feel like we are missing out on something, Fobo,

10 aka “fear of better options”, is used to describe the anxiety that accompanies choice overload.

11 The term has been coined by US venture capitalist Patrick McGinnis, who also created Fomo.

12 Those afflicted by Fobo, he says, will typically find themselves overwhelmed by the possibilities

13 of what could be, even when no outcome is guaranteed, and therefore are likely to hold back

14 on commitment or will decide to commit but then cancel.

15 McGinnis, who has been researching Fomo and Fobo for his forthcoming book, says this is

16 not a new behaviour but reflective of our “biology of wanting the best”. “Our ancestors a million

17 years ago were programmed to wait for the best because it meant they were more likely to

18 succeed,” he says, as per The Guardian. However, our ability to compare both options and

19 ourselves via technology and social media has accelerated this tendency, sometimes escalating

20 to crippling levels, he explains.

21 The rise of Fobo reflects an emerging trend on how choice overload can, despite

22 appearances, make us miserable. In an episode on her podcast, The Happiness Lab, Dr Laurie

23 Santos points out we are more spoiled for choice than ever. However, research shows we

24 usually end up less satisfied with our decision because of it. What’s more, filtering out all these

25 options is proven to be mentally draining, which can lead to worse decision making or “decision

26 fatigue”.

27 ________, those who are presented with fewer options are more likely to end up satisfied.

28 For example, a study offered customers samples of either six or 24 different jams on alternate

29 days. Researchers found 30% of people in the first group purchased at least one of the six

30 jams they tried, while only 3% of the other group made a purchase. In other words, when we

31 are overwhelmed with choice, we are less likely to make a decision at all.

32 So how do we beat Fobo? It all comes down to being decisive. “I have two helpful tips I use

33 almost every day,” McGinnis tells the New York Times. “For everyday things, I do what I call

34 ‘Ask the Watch’. I whittle something down to two options and then assign each item to a side

35 of my watch. Then I look down and see where the second hand is at that moments. Decision

36 made. It sounds silly, but if you try it you will thank me,” he says. “For the big things, I try to

37 think like a venture capitalist. I write everything down on the topic - pros, cons, etc – and I

38 read it out loud.”

39 So next time you find yourself distressed by what to watch on Netflix, why not try something

40 different? Look at your watch.

(Source: https://www.stylist.co.uk/life/do-you-have-fobo-why-fear-of-better-options-is-making-us-miserableand-how-to-get-around-it/330254– Adapted)

Na linha 08, o modal verb “might”: