Have you ever been in a situation where you couldn't decide what to do? Maybe you asked a friend or family member for help. Asking for advice is one of the best things a person can do when faced with a difficult decision. When asking for advice, seeking multiple opinions can help someone make a better choice because it helps them see all sides of the situation, it makes them aware of all the possible options, and it helps them not make a decision based on bias.

When making a choice, it is always good to think about things from all sides of the situation. Different people have different points of view, and will see the situation differently depending on their background or personal experiences. Asking multiple people for their opinion helps to give one a wide range of viewpoints to help them make a good decision. For example, suppose a student was deciding if they wanted to take all honors classes in high school. Instead of asking just one person for their opinion, they could gather more information about the honors program from all points of view and then make their choice. They could ask an older sibling who is in honors and loves it, and also their friend who is taking the same classes and struggling in order to see all of the pros and cons and decide if it is right for them. Seeking multiple opinions will show you all points of view and help you make a more educated decision.

Asking for multiple opinions makes one aware of the different possible options. When someone asks a person for their opinion, that person they ask will have in their head one option that to them is the right option. However, the right option for them may not be the right option for someone else. Asking for multiple opinions ensures that a person learns about all of the possible options and their outcomes and effects. There is one very common real world example of this. When people go to the doctor and are diagnosed with a condition, they often ask for a second or even third opinion. They want to be absolutely certain that the diagnosis is correct, and that they receive the medical care and medication that is right for them. Different doctors will have different treatment plans, and going to multiple doctors makes one aware of all the possible actions they can take, and helps them decide which is best for them.

When giving advice, people are often biased. Asking for multiple opinions can help prevent one's decision from being affected by bias. In the same way that getting your news from only one channel will give you only that channel's biased spin on events, asking only one person for advice gives you only one opinion, which may be affected by bias. Asking multiple people gives you multiple opinions to decide from, and you will avoid making a decision based on one person's biased point of view. For example, let's say your family was deciding what type of pet to get, By asking just your dog owning neighbor for advice, you'll get his biased opinion on why dogs make the best pets. By asking a variety of people who own a variety of animals, you will ensure that the choice you are making is not entirely based on the bias of one person. Or suppose someone is deciding who to vote for in an election. Asking a friend that supports one candidate will give them that one biased point of view, but by asking multiple friends with different viewpoints they can decide for themselves which candidate they prefer.

In conclusion, looking for more than one opinion can help a person make a better decision. One example of this in my experience was when my family was deciding on which orthodontic practice to take me and my siblings to to get braces. Instead of going to one orthodontist office and then stopping there, we went to multiple places to hear what their plan and prices were before making a final decision. Because we went to multiple practices and got multiple opinions, my family was able to make the decision that is right for us. When making a decision, seeking multiple opinions will always help someone make a better choice.