Dissatisfaction is a hallmark of our culture. Americans are constantly dissatisfied with the things they have ‘- clothes, cars, houses, jobs, spouses, lives; everything can be a subject of conflict and complaint. We seek and expect only the best of everything, including ourselves. This process is something known as maximizing. When you maximize, you spend excess time and energy on a decision that ultimately has zero effect on your happiness in the long run.
Imagine you are going to buy a new shirt. You check out a couple of different stores on Newbury Street, looking for something flattering, stylish and relatively cheap. First of all, you’re already facing a problem:’ Newbury Street is rarely cheap. You decide instead to head to the Garment District to look for a shirt. You will definitely be saving money there, but you have potentially sacrificed the shirt’s quality because it has been worn before. Scratch that, now you get on the Red Line to Central Square to check out the Gap. So you’ve found a store that fits your price parameters, and there are still variables that affect what shirt you decide to buy ‘- its color, shape, size, material, stretchiness, comfort, fit, propensity to shrink ‘- the hundreds of factors involved make this seemingly simple process an all-day affair. The cost in time and energy you have now spent looking for a shirt will overshadow any pleasure you might get from finally buying it. Even after you make a purchase, there are regrets. Did you make the right choice? Should you have bought a larger size or a brighter color?
The shirt example is a simple one, but imagine maximizing your options when searching for a job, a place to live or a significant other. If you are on a quest for the absolute best (and nothing less), you are bound to be disappointed. With a maximizing mindset, you won’t be satisfied with what you do have because there is no way you can seek out every other alternative. This doesn’t mean you have to settle for a dumb boyfriend, just that when you find one that meets your standards, appreciate what you have rather than wishing for more.
That is where satisficing comes in. Satisficing is a term psychologist Barry Schwartz uses in his book, ‘The Paradox of Choice.’ It refers to the process of looking for things in your life to be good enough. On first glance, that phrase seems to imply settling for less than you deserve, but it is actually the opposite. What it means is pinpointing the things you actually value in a job, car or vacation, and then working to get just that.
Say you are looking for a used car, and you found one that is fairly cheap, gets good gas mileage and is in good condition ‘- it just doesn’t have power windows. ‘That’s gonna be a pain,’ says a maximizer, but a satisficer says, ‘So what!’ They then go on to buy the car, plan a road trip, invite friends and have the summer of a lifetime with all the energy they saved by avoiding regrets and doubts. The car was not perfect, but it was good enough.
‘Appreciate what you’ve got’ is an old adage, but one that has science to support it. People across the globe who regularly satisfice report higher levels of overall happiness ‘- in every stage of life. Pay attention, Americans, look at what you have now and say ‘thank you’ for it.

‘- Marie Scarles is a sophomore journalism major.’