Tom's wife usually does the shopping, but she had the flu so Tom went instead. Selecting the fruits and vegetables went fine, but when he got to the bread section, he had trouble, because there were over 60 varieties to choose from. Tom compared different types and examined the differences. After 10 minutes of careful consideration, he picked one that seemed like the perfect choice. However, he had to repeat the process for the rest of the shopping list. By the time he had finished and paid for everything, he was tired and upset.
Why did Tom have this kind of experience? According to behavioral economics research, although having some options makes us feel good, once we get beyond that small number, the more choices we have, the less happy we feel.
The cause of our unhappiness has its root in one typical judgment error we make—our natural reactions prefer avoiding losses to making gains. This is probably because of our evolutionary(进化的) background; our minds evolved for the savanna(热带草原) environment, not for our modem shopping context. Due to this, when we have lots of options, we feel anxious about making the wrong choice and losing out on the best one.
Digging into research on factors that make a shopping trip an unhappy experience helps us improve our buying decisions. When choosing what to buy, the number one technique involves satisficing instead of maximizing.
Maximizing behavior refers to finding the perfect option when shopping. Maximizers compare all available options to make sure that they get the best deal in terms of performance, price, and so on. They have high expectations, and they hope that the product will meet their expectations.
It's the opposite for satisficers. They set certain minimal criteria (最低标准) that need to be met, then search for the first available product that meets the criteria. They look for products that are "good enough" instead of "perfect". When they focus on "good enough", their brain automatically highlights the positives, and lowers the expectations.
Research shows that maximizing behavior results in less happiness, less satisfaction, and more regret than satisficing.
To be happier, satisfice and limit your choices. Make a short list that compares a reasonable number of options and doesn't include every product available. After all, there's no such thing as the perfect deal.
