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You're in search of a new coffee maker, and the simple quest becomes, well, an ordeal. After doing copious amounts of research and reading dozens of consumer reviews, you finally make a purchase, only to wonder: "Was this the right choice? Could I do better? What is the return policy?"
Reality check: Is this you?
If so, new research from Florida State University may shed some light on your inability to make a decision that you'll be happy with.
Joyce Ehrlinger, an assistant professor of psychology, has long been fascinated with individuals identified among psychologists as "maximizers." Maximizers tend to obsess over decisions - big or small - and then fret about their choices later. "Satisficers," on the other hand, tend to make a decision and then live with it.
Happily.
Of course, there are shades of gray. In fact, there's a whole continuum of ways people avoid commitment without really avoiding it.
Ehrlinger's latest research on decision making was published in the peer-reviewed journal
Personality and Individual Differences. The paper, "Failing to Commit: Maximizers Avoid Commitment in a Way That Contributes to Reduced Satisfaction," was co-authored with her graduate student, doctoral candidate Erin Sparks, and colleague Richard Eibach, a psychology assistant professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It examines whether "maximizers show less commitment to their choices than satisficers in a way that leaves them lesssatisfied with their choices."
The paper, based on two studies of Florida State undergraduate volunteers, finds that the maximizers' focus on finding the best option ultimately undermines their commitment to their final choices. As a result, the authors argue, "maximizers miss out on the psychological benefits of commitment," leaving them less satisfied than their more contented counterparts, the satisficers.
Past research into the differences between maximizers and satisficers looked at how the two groups made choices differently and, more importantly, how the process itself varied. Ehrlinger's research, however, looked at something else entirely: What happened after a choice was made?
"Because maximizers want to be certain they have made the right choice," the authors contend, "they are less likely to fully commit to a decision." And most likely, they are less happy in their everyday lives.
Whether being a maximizer is a central and stable part of the personality or simply a frame of mind remains unclear, but Ehrlinger hopes to isolate the cause of the behavior in future research.
"Current research is trying to understand whether they can change," she said. "High-level maximizers certainly cause themselves a lot of grief."
Over the years, Ehrlinger's scholarly research has led her to study self-perception and accuracy and error in self-judgment. Her latest research into the ways maximizers avoid commitment is important for several reasons.
First, the differences between maximizers and satisficers may play a bigger role than previously thought in consumer decision making and purchasing. For example: "Maximizers get nervous when they see an 'All Sales Are Final' sign because it forces them to commit," Ehrlinger said.
Also, a maximizer's lack of contentment creates a lot of stress, so the trait could potentially have an enormous effect on health, Ehrlinger explained. It's not just coffee-maker purchases they stress over - and second-guess themselves about - it's also the big life decisions such as choosing a mate, buying a house or applying for a job.
Even after considerable deliberation before choosing a mate or a house, a high-level maximizer may still feel unhappy, even depressed, with his or her final decision.
"Identifying the 'right' choice can be a never-ending task (for a maximizer)," Ehrlinger and her co-authors write. "Feelings about which option is best can always change in the face of new information. Maximizers might be unable to fully embrace a choice because they cannot be absolutely certain they chose the best possible option."
Is the "Maximizer" and even the "Satisficers" personalities a result of our consumerist society?
I certainly have felt like a maximizer at times. But then there are occasions when I acted as a satisficer too.
I do thorough research quite often, especially on expensive purchases, or on things that I know I will use a lot. The reason is a learned behavior from EXPERIENCE... I have been "burned" many times by slick marketing that turned out to be a very crappy product...it broke after just a little use, or just didn't work as advertised.
I think it would be safe for me to make the bold prediction that most people reading this have probably had similar experiences. And also that most people probably exhibit both of these traits from time to time.
Essentially we LEARN over time that it is wise to do some research before making any rash decisions. We have learned from our experiences not to just trust marketing claims outright.
However, sometimes we eventually find a product that does live up to the claimed quality and performance and we are pleasantly satisfied with the decision. We then remember that, and remember that brand as a reputable brand that makes quality products that we like.
So then, the next time we need a similar product, we seek out that brand and make a quick purchase without having done very much research. It's a trust thing. In this instance we have now just acted as a satisficer personality. Going even more extreme than this, sometimes we buy a product without doing research just because we want to be "cool" and go along with the popular trend. Best example of this I can think of...Apple products! Good thing Apple also just happens to make a pretty good quality product. Otherwise we would learn real quick to trust those "fashion trends" even less than we already do.
Moral of the Story:
I think the researchers haven't asked the right questions to discover the real causes of the personality traits that they are seeking to understand. For example, here is a possible alternative explanation...might the cause of the stress and unhappiness that they are observing in the"maximizer" type person be as simple as a learned lack of trust in our crazy consumerism-driven world? Also interesting to note that this behavior leads to stress, which leads to health issues...hmmm.
*Disclaimer: I might have a slight unfair advantage in my perspective on this topic (and maybe a little bias) in that I am a Product Design Engineer and have studied topics like these for quite a few years. So my take is that while it was a slightly interesting article, the researchers need to keep digging a little deeper before they discover something much more interesting and valuable about the truth of our society and our many consumerism personality disorders. For more information on this and a great many other similar thought provoking topics, please read...the rest of the subject matter covered on this site, SOTT.