The De Teliga Report

Choice Overload

There is a school of thought that we are suffering from choice overload. Some recent psychological research has shown that, whilst counterintuitive, we might be better off seeking ‘good enough’ from our decisions rather than ‘the besť; we might also be better off if we lowered our expectations about the results of our decisions.
 

According to the American Psychological Association, if you seek and accept only the best you are a maximizer. If, on the other hand, you are prepared to settle for something good enough, you are termed a satisficer. Take the case of a maximizer shopping for a new dress - she will seek only the best and at the best price, so she will have the daunting task ahead of her whereby she has to visit many, many stores, check price after price before she makes a decision. Whilst she might not visit every store, she will aspire to reach the perfect decision. She may also be nagged by doubts after the purchase that she could have done better. To a maximizer, a satisficer will appear less discriminating, settling for mediocrity. The satisficer might be just as discriminating, but will be happier with her selection than the maximizer. The point is, too much choice can lead to misery for many people. 

A Nobel Prize-winning psychologist named Herbert Simon introduced the notion of satisficing in the 1950’s. He said that the cost of maximizing (in terms of time, money and anguish) meant that satisficing was actually the best strategy for humans faced with the explosion in choices available. Imagine his thoughts today!  
 

Here is a simple test to determine maximizing vs. satsficing developed by the APA. Write a number from 1 (completely disagree) to 7 (completely agree) next to each question. Add up your score. If it is 65 or higher you are a maximizer. If it is 40 or lower you are a satisficer. Many thousands of people have been surveyed using this test, no differences exist between males and females; the highest score was 75; the lowest 25; the mean was 50. 

Next report will explore this subject more fully.

Maximization Scale.

1.Whenever I’m faced with a choice, I try to imagine what all the other possibilities are, even ones that aren’t present at the moment.

2. No matter how satisfied I am with my job, iťs only right for me to be on the lookout for better opportunities.

3.When I am in the car listening to the radio, I often check other stations to see if something better is playing, even if I am relatively satisfied with what I’m listening to.

4.When I watch TV, I channel surf, often scanning through the available options even while attempting to watch one program.

5.I treat relationships like clothing: I expect to try a lot on before finding the perfect fit.

6.I often find it difficult to shop for a gift for a friend.

7.Renting videos is really difficult. I’m always struggling to pick the best one.

8.When shopping, I have a hard time finding clothing I really love.

9.I’m a big fan of lists that attempt to rank things (best movies; best singers; best athletes; best novels; etc).

10.I find that writing is very difficult. even if iťs a letter to a friend, because iťs so hard to word things right. I often do several drafts of even simple things.

11.I never settle for second best.

12.No matter what I do, I have the highest standards for myself.

13.I often fantasize about living in ways that are quite different from my actual life.