Adopt satisficing instead of maximizing

Set a "good enough" threshold before you search, then stop when you hit it.

Why it works

Maximizers scan every available option hoping to find the objectively best one. This is computationally impossible in large choice sets, so they never feel certain they are done — and regret any unchosen option. Satisficers pre-commit to a standard; hitting that standard is the stopping rule, which closes the search and lowers counterfactual regret because the bar was met by definition.

How to do it

1. Before searching, write down the two or three criteria that actually matter and a minimum acceptable score on each.
2. Scan options until one clears all thresholds, then stop — do not re-open the search.
3. Remind yourself that reviewing more options after a satisfactory one is found increases regret, not quality.

Evidence

Schwartz and colleagues found that maximizing orientation (vs satisficing) correlates with lower life satisfaction, more regret, and more depression across multiple studies. The causal direction is inferential; the correlation is robust. (observational)

These are correlational findings. Whether training satisficing shifts outcomes is plausible but less directly tested.

Sources

• Schwartz et al. (2002), "Maximizing versus satisficing: Happiness is a matter of choice," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Common mistake

Setting the satisficing threshold after reviewing options rather than before, which turns it into maximizing in disguise.