studies conducted at Swarthmore College examined the psychological effects experienced by “maximizers” as compared to “satisficers.” These studies build on the term “satisficer” that economist Herbert Simon coined in 1956 to describe the decision-making style that “prioritizes an adequate solution over an optimal solution.” While satisficers make a decision once their criteria is met, “maximizers” want to make the best possible decision, and so they scrutinize every option even if they’ve found one that’s good enough. In the Swarthmore studies, as journalist Becky Kane summarizes on Todoist,
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