Just over two years ago, I decided to buy a new car. And, as excited as I was at the thought of getting something new, I was just as intimidated by the process. No, I wasn’t worried about haggling with a car salesman or filling out the paperwork – I was scared that I would not get the best possible price. With the resources at my finger tips (eg; the internet), I was worried that this would take a great deal of effort and that there was a lot of room for error.

So, I decided to limit my choices and make a quick, informed decision. First, I went to one web site and got the ‘dealer price’ for my desired car and the potential price of my trade-in. Next, I identified four car dealerships within a 30-minute drive and called each of them and asked them for a quote on the model that I wanted. (Only one dealership declined to give me a quote over the phone.)

I got a good deal from a dealership about 30 minutes from my house. The sales rep was friendly but the paperwork was a little burdensome (of course). And, in the end, I felt that I had received a “good deal.” I was very satisfied with the entire process. To this day, I have no regrets about my decision.

In The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwarz, the research shows that people who ’satisfy’ as opposed to ‘maximize’ when making decisions are actually happier with their decisions and happier, overall. Satisficers simply settle for something that is good enough or something that meets their own standards. Maximizers (people who go to just about any length to get the best combination of features, benefits, and price) do a better job in objective terms than those who satisfy. For instance, they usually get better prices because they do more research on what is available. Maximizers, however, are actually less satisfied with their purchases because they always believe they could have done just a little more research.

Schwarz does a masterful job bringing to light the number of decisions that we have to make on a daily basis. Everything from cookies to cars has expanded in the last several decades to a dizzying array. The consequence is that we’re being ‘pushed’ to be maximizers. The author argues that the amount of choices we have requires us to put more effort into our decisions, that we are more likely to make errors, and that the psychological consequences are more severe.

Here are some tips to be more satisfied with your decisions while limiting your choices:

• Set clear goals (eg; I want a new car for less than $25,000)
• Set reasonable expectations for your purchase. Avoid thinking that this purchase/decision will finally make you happy and that these feelings of joy will not dissipate.
• Limit the number of choices for a given decision.
• Express gratitude on a regular basis
• Stop comparing yourself to those who have more than you. Upward comparisons can produce jealousy, hostility, frustration, and other negative emotions.

So, while we all crave the freedom to make our own choices, we are actually better off with just a little less choice.

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