Are You a Maximizer or a Satisficer When It Comes to Your Health?

If you work out, think about how you chose your training regimen, your gym, or what kind of exercise you do. Some of it is personal satisfaction (i.e. enjoying spinning more than running), but generally speaking how you make decisions reflects if you are a satisficer or a maximizer.

Satsificers settle for "good enough", whereas maximizers want the best. Now this doesn't mean that satisficers have lower standards; in fact, as long as the decision meets their criteria, they are satisfied.

Unsure which category you fall in? Take this quiz from Psychology World: https://www.psychologistworld.com/cognitive/maximizer-satisficer-decision-making-quiz

Let's look at an example of how a satisficer and maximizer approach a decision. Say that two people are in the market for a new car. Here's how the satisficer might approach it: she decides what is important to her, such as color, horsepower, four wheel drive, and number of seats. She goes car shopping and at the second dealership finds a car that meets the four criteria. Her decision is made and she happily drives home in her new car. The maximizer with the same criteria also finds the car that meets the four criteria at the second dealership she goes to. Unlike the satisficer, she must pursue every option until she is sure she has made the optimal decision, requiring her to go to multiple other dealerships and look online before committing to a car. All in all, both people end up with a new car.

Research shows that we tend to be a mix of both types. It has also been proven that maximizers often have feelings of lower happiness, regret, and display perfectionist qualities. However, maximizers achieve better outcomes than satisficers. There are advantages and drawbacks to each decision making style.

When it comes to health and wellness, are you a maximizer or a satisficer? Personally, I think I am a mix of both. I researched various programs before committing to one, looked into all of my options for local gyms when I moved to a new city, and spend an embarrassing amount of time looking into "the best" protein powder or on-the-go bars. But I don't worry about always making the absolute best decision when it comes to a meal out or worry about my gym attire.

In the world of health and wellness, people such as bodybuilders can be viewed as maximizers. Since they are competing, they need to make optimal decisions when it comes to the food they eat, their training regimen, and more. But those of us who workout to stay healthy and view food as fuel and medicine - we may be better off being satisficers. This will allow us to prevent wasting energy worrying about whether we ate "the best" meal for us, or are using "the best" potions, and on and on.

I've found that if I spend too much time worrying about my decisions when it comes to my personal health, I tend to get anxious, ruminate, and self-criticize. And I don't need that in my life, and neither do you! All in all, it may be better for our mental health to move to a satisficer mentality for our health -- easier said than done, but each journey begins with a single step!

If you are interested in learning more about maximizers and satisficers, check out the following links:

The Paradox of Choice by Barry Scwhartz

"Maximizers vs. Satisficers: Who Makes Better Decisions?" article from Psychology Today

"Maximizers versus satisficers: Decision-making styles, competence, and outcomes" study from Judgment and Decision Making

- Hilary

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