Social Question
Satisficers and maximizers - Do you look for the best product/solution or a product/solution which is good enough?
From Wikipedia: Satisficing (a portmanteau of “satisfy” and “suffice”) is a decision-making strategy that attempts to meet criteria for adequacy, rather than to identify an optimal solution. A satisficing strategy may often be (near) optimal if the costs of the decision-making process itself, such as the cost of obtaining complete information, are considered in the outcome calculus.
The Paradox of Choice – Why More Is Less is a 2004 book by Barry Schwartz. In the book, Schwartz argues that eliminating consumer choices can greatly reduce anxiety for shoppers. “Autonomy and Freedom of choice are critical to our well being, and choice is critical to freedom and autonomy. Nonetheless, though modern Americans have more choice than any group of people ever has before, and thus, presumably, more freedom and autonomy, we don’t seem to be benefiting from it psychologically.”
Schwartz finds that when people are faced with having to choose one option out of many desirable choices, they will begin to consider hypothetical trade-offs. Their options are evaluated in terms of missed opportunities instead of the opportunity’s potential. Schwartz maintains that one of the downsides of making trade-offs is it alters how we feel about the decisions we face afterward, as it affects the level of satisfaction we experience from our decision.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Paradox_of_Choice:_Why_More_Is_Less
So when you shop for, say an MP3 player, do you compare almost all of them? Do you feel bad when days later you find another player which is superior and less expensive? What about cars, clothes, shoes, restaurants?
I think all people, even when being satisficers in general, have “sore spots” turning them into maximizers. Mine include high-quality loudspeakers in my living room.
What are yours? Overall, are you a satisficer or a maximizer? How do you feel about choice overload? How do you handle it?
Composing members:
0
10 Answers
