Apparently I'm a Maximizer and I need to adopt a bit more Satisficer attitude into my thoughts and decision making. Note to self, don't over think it.
Here’s a quick stroll through some of the key findings on the art of decision-making:
1. Satisficers vs Maximizers.
Coined by the economist Herbert Simon in 1956, “satisficing” is an approach to decision-making that prioritises an adequate solution over an optimal solution. Gretchen Rubin sums up the difference between the two types of decision-makers well in a post over at the Happiness Project:
Satisficers are those who make a decision or take
action once their criteria are met. That doesn’t mean they’ll settle
for mediocrity; their criteria can be very high; but as soon as they
find the car, the hotel, or the pasta sauce that has the qualities they
want, they’re satisfied.
Maximizers want to make the optimal decision. So even if they see a bicycle or a photographer that would seem to meet their requirements, they can’t make a decision until after they’ve examined every option, so they know they’re making the best possible choice…
In a fascinating book, The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz argues that satisficers tend to be happier than maximizers. Maximizers must spend a lot more time and energy to reach a decision, and they’re often anxious about whether they are, in fact, making the best choice.
If you're in the same boat as me, pop over to Pip's blog and you can read some more helpful stuff.
Life has got to be much simpler and easier if you are a Satisficer. Never heard the term before but I am definitely a Satisficer, life is too short.
ReplyDeleteI'm defo moving that way going forward. How hard can it be:)
ReplyDeleteI thought I was a Satisficer too, then on New Year's Eve a dear friend did a cheese test on me! We both love cheese but I am less discriminating than he is. First he gave me some very acceptable supermarket stuff. Yum yum. Then, with a knowing look, he brought out the "cheese ambrosia" he'd found tucked away in a specialist shop in a remote Yorkshire town. Ecstasy!!! Maximizers definitely have a point...
ReplyDeleteHa ha, life is all about variety, and I don't like to miss out on anything good. So I'm defo a maximizer but I'm gonna try and mix it up a bit in 2013 with some satisficering.
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