People handle having lots of choices in two ways: by “maximizing” or “satisficing.” Maximizing is exploring all the options, weighing them, and trying to get the best. Satisficing is thinking about what you need and picking the first thing that fulfills those needs. Satisficing is living by “good enough.” In the modern world, maximizing is impossible and unfulfilling. Imagine exploring Amazon.com for the “best book for you.” Good luck evaluating every single one. You’d need years. But there’s a deeper, less obvious problem. You might think that evaluating more possibilities would lead to
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