We live in a world built on the idea that freedom equals choice — and choice equals freedom. We get to choose what to buy, what to believe, who to love, where to live.

We can go onto the internet and be overwhelmed with options, we can swipe right or left on a dating app to choose a potential life partner, we go to a restaurant and are given a menu of choices. Every day, we're told that the more options we have, the freer we are.

But what if the very thing we thought defined our freedom — our ability to choose — was actually overwhelming us? 

A new history explains how choice has evolved to dominate modern life.