#008 Happiness and the abundance of choice
How we approach choice can affect our wellbeing.
We live in a time where there are so many choices. From what kind of plant milk you have with your coffee (soy, macadamia or oat are choices I grapple with), to what to wear to work, we make thousands of tiny decisions per day. There are plentiful choices for those bigger life decisions too – where do you live (and how do you afford it) and who do you choose/meet a life partner (or do you choose not to pursue this?).
In addition to spending decisions, you constantly make choices about how to spend your time. For instance, I decided to write this on the couch during toddler nap time rather than cleaning the house, scrolling Instagram, gardening, reading, eating and any other infinite decision combination. You made the choice to click on the link and read this post (for which, thank you!)
Some studies show that the average person makes an eye watering 35,000 choices per day. Assuming that most people spend around seven hours per day sleeping and thus blissfully choice-free, that makes roughly 2,000 decisions per hour or one decision every two seconds.
Does having too much choice affect our wellbeing?
I would argue yes. But not necessarily in a negative way. It all depends on how you take decisions.
Are you a satisficer?
Or a maximiser?
A satisficer is someone who prefers to make decisions quickly. Instead of the ‘best’ choice, they're fine with what is acceptable based on a set of personally determined criteria. The 'satisficing' concept was first proposed by the U.S. Nobel Prize-winning economist Herbert A. Simon, who created the portmanteau by combining the words 'satisfying' and 'sufficing'.
If you are a maximiser, you are likely to do a lot of research, weigh options, and take longer to make decisions. You want make a choice that will deliver you the highest maximum benefit or utility.
Think about your last major purchase, or how you chose accommodation on your last holiday.
Do you read reviews, compare many different options, have a mental pros and cons list, think about it for days (or weeks), and ask friends for advice? If so, you are a maximiser.
Or do you have a set of criteria (close to the beach, 2 bedrooms, parking) and choose the first option that meets your needs? If this sounds more like you, you are probably a satisficer.
Which approach is better?
Maximisers might seems to have the edge here. On paper, they have weighed a lot of different options to make an optimal choice. But studies show that being a maximiser might not be the best option. Maximisers expend so much energy trying to make the ‘best’ choice that they also end up dissatisfied with the choice because they spend less time appreciating what they have (this hotel isn’t as good as it looked in the photos, I which I had chosen the other one, rather than wow, I am so lucky to be able to afford a holiday in this current economic climate!).
As I have gotten older (and had children), I have definitely changed my approach to choice. When I was younger I was a definite maximiser about most major choices. I would spend days researching the best hostel to stay in on my summer holidays or what job to apply for when finishing university. I would agonise about how to spend my time and money to maximise my hedonic happiness.
I am sure I was not alone. The pursuit of hedonic wellbeing, or chasing pleasure or enjoyment and the avoidance of pain or discomfort, is something that most of us have experienced (or continually experience).
Life on the hedonic treadmill is exhausting and often characterised by the desire for more (and more and more). You go on holiday, get a promotion, buy a new car. For a brief moment you get a bump in joy, but then you crash and get back on the treadmill as you look for the next thing that will give you a hedonic boost (as you continue to compare your situation with that of others – your peers, the people who present their best lives on Instagram…).
As I have delved into the world of wellbeing, meditation, positive psychology (ironically to maximise my own wellbeing and personal growth), I have shifted to a satisficing mindset. ‘Close enough is good enough’ is my new mantra. And research shows that this is much more likely to contribute to eudaimonic wellbeing (which has to be one of my favourite words!).
Eudaimonia is a term used by Greek philosopher Aristotle – its sentiment difficult to translate into English, but can mean ‘flourishing’, having a ‘rounded and virtuous character’ and literally means having a ‘good demon’. A typical question asked is ‘Do you feel that the things you do in your life are worthwhile?’.
More on hedonism vs eudaimonia in another post, but for now, do you feel like the way that you approach choice is boosting your ‘good demon’ or does it frequently leave you feeling like you could have chosen better and experiencing regret?
Happiness doesn’t come from making the best, most optimised choice, it comes from being satisfied with the choice you made that fits your needs.
Experiments in modern wellbeing
Consider how your approach to choice links to some of the broader topics we have explored in recent posts – particularly to how we pay attention. Have you ever considered your approach to choice? Do you enjoy choice or put it off as long as possible until you have done more research or the choice is made for you?
In the coming weeks pay attention to how you approach choice – both big and small. Notice what decisions you approach as a maximiser and which you are happy to satisfice? Are you happy with the balance?
If not, what can you do to improve the rate at which you are satisfied with the choices you make? Think about your criteria for decision making (does it need to be narrowed or widened?) Think about how you feel after making a choice (do you frequently regret decision?). There is a tonne of research out there on choice – if this is something you are interested in, below are a few articles to get you started.
Maximizing versus satisficing: Happiness is a matter of choice.
Are you a maximiser or a satisficer?
Be well,
Alicia