Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Don’t be too fussy over making a decision,for a new study says people who make snap decisions are happier than those who agonise over life’s big choices.
Researchers have found that thinking too much to get decisions spot on can become a vicious circle leading to obsessiveness and unhappiness. But instinctive,unfussy decision-making leads to a worry-free and healthier life.
For their study,the researchers divided people into maximisers who obsess about everything and curiously named satisficers who breeze through life.
Maximisers never really know if they get the big decisions about jobs and choice of partners right because they dwell on decisions long afterwards. On other hand,satisficers have the happy knack of instinctively being content with whatever choices they have made.
The researchers claim that the indecisiveness of maximisers means they can never enjoy the psychological benefits of commitment and cause themselves grief,a media report said.
Their indecision can drive away partners,cost them a potentially lucrative career and even damage their health.
Maximisers even get nervous at the sight of a final reductions signs during Christmas sales because it makes them feel pressured and forced into commitment.
Lead author Professor Joyce Ehrlinger said: Maximisers miss out on the psychological benefits of commitment,leaving them less satisfied than their more contented counterparts,the satisficers.
It’s not just coffee-maker purchases that Maximisers stress over — it’s also the big life decisions such as choosing a mate,buying a house or applying for a job. Maximisers get nervous when they see a ‘final reduction’ sign because it forces them to commit.
