How can we help our children become effective decision makers?
Barry Schwartz, a Swarthmore psychology professor and author of The Paradox of Choice, has broken mankind into two camps. There are the maximizers, who scrutinize every option, and satisficers (a made-up word that combines “satisfied” and “sacrificed”), who are happy with decisions that are good enough.
Since there are always more options out there — sometimes, an infinite number — it can take an enormous amount of time to make “the best” decision.
Maximizers agonize over every possible option and then suffer from anticipatory regret (“What if the store gets an even nicer coat next week?”) and post-decision regret, mourning the options they nixed.
A satisficer looks around the store, makes a decision about what to buy, and is pretty happy with his choice. Maximizers wonder why any sacrifice needs to be made when it comes to decisions. They ignore the biggest sacrifices they make — the time, the effort, and the emotional pain of their regret.
Create a free account to keep reading.
