Roughly 52% of maximizers — people who compulsively search for the
best option — score above the midpoint of a validated 7-point Regret
Scale, compared with approximately 20% of satisficers who decide
quickly and move on. These figures are derived estimates, not direct
survey responses: Schwartz et al. (2002) found, across seven samples
totaling roughly 1,747 participants, a correlation of r = .47 between
maximizing tendency and regret — one of the strongest individual-
difference predictors of regret in the psychological literature. The
study reported means on a continuous scale (full-sample mean ~3.18,
SD ~0.79); the 52% and 20% values are rough estimates of the proportion
in each group exceeding the scale midpoint. The paradox sharpened in
Iyengar, Wells, and Schwartz’s (2006) job-search study: maximizers landed
salaries 20% higher than satisficers yet reported more negative affect
and less satisfaction with their outcomes. Objectively better results did
not buy subjectively better feelings.
The mechanism appears to be rumination. Dey, Joormann, Moulds, and Newell
(2018) experimentally showed that abstract rumination — the “why did I
choose this?” mode of thinking — amplified post-decisional regret compared
to concrete processing, across two studies. Maximizers default to exactly
this abstract style: after choosing, they keep rejected alternatives
mentally alive, cycling through counterfactual scenarios that erode
satisfaction with whatever they picked. Satisficers, by contrast, close
the cognitive file. They think less about roads not taken, which means
fewer raw materials for regret to build on. The result is a stable
pattern: more deliberation, more regret — not because the decision was
worse, but because the deliberation process itself generates the regret.
The main limitation is that the regret rates above are derived proxies,
not direct survey percentages. Schwartz et al. never asked a binary
“do you regret?” question; we converted continuous scale scores into
estimated proportions above the midpoint, a transformation that
introduces substantial uncertainty. The seven samples were all
convenience-recruited. The maximizer-satisficer distinction is a
continuum, not a clean binary, and the regret gap narrows in the middle
of the distribution. Still, the directional finding replicates across
samples, cultures, and decision domains: overthinking a choice does not
inoculate against regret but reliably amplifies it.
Sources : action
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1/2 sources vérifiées de manière indépendante, mot pour mot, par rapport à la source citée
[1]Journal of Personality and Social Psychology — Maximizing versus satisficing: happiness is a matter of choice
Vérifié
↗ 1 other entry
Revue par les pairs
Across seven samples (n ~ 1,747), maximizing correlated r = .47 with regret on a 7-point continuous scale; satisficers scored well below the scale midpoint on regret
Extrait
“"Seven samples revealed negative correlations between maximization and happiness, optimism, self-esteem, and life satisfaction, and positive correlations between maximization and depression, perfectionism, and regret."
”
Données source de
2002-12-01
Consulté le
2026-04-26
Vérification
Extrait récupéré et confirmé de manière indépendante, mot pour mot, par rapport à la source citée lors de notre audit de vérification.
Calcul
Schwartz et al. (2002) reported continuous Regret Scale means and the r = .47 correlation with maximizing, NOT binary prevalence rates. The ~20% figure is our rough estimate of the proportion of bottom-tertile scorers (satisficers) who exceeded the 7-point scale midpoint, assuming approximate normality (mean ~3.18, SD ~0.79 for the full sample). This is a derived proxy, not a direct survey finding. The r = .47 correlation is the primary finding; the percentages are secondary approximations.
[2]Psychological Science — Doing Better but Feeling Worse: Looking for the 'Best' Job Undermines Satisfaction↗ 1 other entry
Revue par les pairs
Satisficers reported higher job satisfaction and less negative affect than maximizers despite obtaining lower starting salaries
Extrait
“"Students with high maximizing tendencies secured jobs with 20% higher starting salaries than did students with low maximizing tendencies. However, maximizers were less satisfied than satisficers with the jobs they obtained, and experienced more negative affect throughout the job-search process."
”
Données source de
2006-02-01
Consulté le
2026-04-26
Calcul
Iyengar, Wells & Schwartz (2006) followed graduating students through job searches. Satisficers earned 20% less but reported less regret and more satisfaction. Provides a concrete real-world comparison: quick deciders objectively do worse on salary but subjectively feel better about their choices.
Sources : inaction
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Chaque chiffre ci-dessous correspond à ce que la source a rapporté, avec la citation textuelle sur laquelle nous nous sommes appuyés et la méthode de calcul. Cliquez sur un lien pour vérifier directement.
[1]Journal of Personality and Social Psychology — Maximizing versus satisficing: happiness is a matter of choice↗ 1 other entry
Revue par les pairs
Maximizers scored significantly higher on the 7-point Regret Scale (r = .47 with maximizing, p < .001); the correlation is one of the strongest individual-difference predictors of regret
Extrait
“"Maximizers reported significantly more regret than satisficers. The maximizing tendency was positively correlated with regret (r = .47) and negatively correlated with happiness, optimism, self-esteem, and life satisfaction."
”
Données source de
2002-12-01
Consulté le
2026-04-26
Calcul
Same dataset as action side. The ~52% figure is our rough estimate of the proportion of top-tertile scorers (maximizers) who exceeded the 7-point Regret Scale midpoint. This is a derived proxy, not a direct survey percentage. The primary finding is the r = .47 correlation — one of the largest individual-difference predictors of regret in the psychological literature. The conversion to binary rates introduces substantial uncertainty.
[2]Behaviour Research and Therapy — The relative effects of abstract versus concrete rumination on the experience of post-decisional regret
Revue par les pairs
Abstract ruminators reported significantly more post-decisional regret than concrete thinkers across two studies (Study 1: n = 58; Study 2: n = 70)
Extrait
“"In Study 1, participants identified a personally important decision that they regretted having made in the past 6 months, were instructed to think in either an abstract (n = 29) or concrete (n = 29) way about their decision, then rated the extent to which they regretted the decision. Participants in the abstract condition reported more regret than did participants in the concrete condition. Employing the same methodology used in Study 1, we replicated this finding in Study 2 (abstract condition: n = 34; concrete condition: n = 36)."
”
Données source de
2018-09-01
Consulté le
2026-04-26
Calcul
Dey, Joormann, Moulds & Newell (2018) experimentally manipulated rumination style. Abstract ruminators (the style characteristic of maximizers) reported higher post-decisional regret about a real decision they had made. Provides a causal mechanism but no binary prevalence rate.
Réserves
IMPORTANT : Les taux de regret de 20% et 52% sont des proxies dérivés, pas des réponses d'enquête directes. Schwartz et al. (2002) ont rapporté des moyennes d'échelle continues et la corrélation r = 0,47 entre la maximisation et le regret sur une échelle à 7 points, pas des taux binaires « regrettez-vous ? ». Nous avons estimé la proportion de chaque tertile dépassant le point médian de l'échelle en supposant une normalité approximative (moyenne pleine échantillon ~3,18, ET ~0,79) — une conversion qui introduit une incertitude substantielle. La conclusion principale est la corrélation r = 0,47 elle-même, qui est l'un des prédicteurs de différence individuelle les plus forts du regret dans la littérature. L'étude de recherche d'emploi d'Iyengar fournit la comparaison concrète la plus claire : les maximiseurs ont gagné 20% de plus mais se sont sentis pires concernant leurs résultats. Les sept échantillons étaient tous des échantillons de commodité, pas représentatifs au niveau national. Les études de rumination de Petrocelli (2018) ont utilisé de petits échantillons (n = 58, 70) avec rumination expérimentalement induite. La distinction maximiseur-satisficeur est un continuum de traits, pas un binaire — beaucoup de gens tombent au milieu où l'écart de regret se rétrécit. La conclusion directionnelle (les maximiseurs rapportent plus de regret) est robuste ; les pourcentages spécifiques doivent être lus comme des approximations grossières.
