How a Maximizer Can Become a Satisficer

After reading The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz, I couldn't help but feel depressed. The Paradox of Choice explores how the plethora of available choices and the freedom to choose contribute to unhappiness and a loss of valuable time. And if this finding wasn't sad enough there is one group of people who suffer the most from decision making, Maximizers.

According to Schwartz, there are three kinds of people: Maximizers, Satisficers, and Perfectionists. Maximizers turn decisions into major projects, looking for the absolute best solution. It doesn't matter if a Maximizer is buying a car or buying a new set of headphones, each requires an exhaustive effort. On the other end of the spectrum are the "happy" ones, Satisficers. Satificers make decisions quickly and decisively, settling for good enough. Once a solution that satisfies his/her needs is found, a Satisficer feels no desire to continue searching for the very best. When comparing the two groups, Maximizers exert a greater effort toward decision making than Satisficers. Maximizers will spend more time on product comparisons and the purchasing decision, while experiencing more regret and negative feelings toward their decision than Satisficers.

You may be thinking a Maximizer sounds a lot like a Perfectionist. A Perfectionist sets high standards for him/herself, but does not expect to meet them. On the other hand, Maximizers set similar high standards, but expect to fully meet them. According to Schwartz, high standards and the search for the best contributes to dissatisfaction with life. Schwartz developed a test to calculate an individuals Maximization score. If you are interested in determining how much of a Maximizer you are I encourage you to take Maximization Test below.

Schwartz concluded that, "high Maximization scores experience less satisfaction with life, were less happy, were less optimistic, and were more depressed than people with low maximization score (Satisficers)". If you found you had a high Maximization score like me, you might agree that Schwartz's conclusion  about Maximizers is just depressing. The outlook seems pretty bleak for Maximizers based on his research.

In the last chapter of The Paradox of Choice, Schwartz recommends several ways to combat the trap of too many choices. One of his solutions is, "be a Satisficer rather than a Maximizer". Wow, that's great advice! Of course Maximizers would rather be Satisficers if it meant less dissatisfaction and post decision regret. The only issue is that Schwartz offered no actions steps for becoming a Satisficer. So as a Maximizer, I have thought of three ways one can bring more satisficing into his/her daily life.

1. Set A Time Limit
Sometimes it feels like there is a never ending list of choices. Truthfully it's nice to have options, but Maximizers have a strong desire to explore them all so they can be certain they have made the best choice. One would think that limiting the number of choices considered when making a decision would solve the Maximizer's unhappinass dilemma. But this doesn't work for Maximizers who want the very best. Instead, setting a time limit allows a Maximizer to evaluate as many options as he/she can within that time frame. With this solution, a Maximizer can conduct his/her research thoroughly and then feel like he/she has made a well informed decision. The time allotted for decision making should be based on the importance of the decision being made and the level of involvement required. For example, buying a new car may require 3 weeks and selecting a Netflix movie may require 10 minutes. Selecting a time limit is subjective, but the key to success is holding yourself to it.

2. Practice Decision MakingIt will be less time consuming for Maximizers to make big decisions, if they get used to making smaller decisions. Making quick decisions will teach Maximizers the "good enough" lifestyle. Maximizers should begin by making "good enough" decisions on a small scale. For example, going to a coffee shop and ordering a drink is a great place to start. This act is seemingly insignificant and one would have to really screw up their order to not achieve some level of satisfaction. Ordering a drink at a coffee shop, requires Maximizers to make several decisions in a relatively short time frame. Satisficers are great at being decisive. By practicing the art of quick decision making, Maximizers can develop the Satisficer's indifferent attitude toward abundant choices.

3. Choose Decisions Worthy Of Your Time
Spending less time on the small stuff will help Maximizers prioritize their decisions and learn what decisions are actually worthy of their diligent effort. Perspective is key here. The amount of effort that goes into buying a home should not be the same effort that goes into buying a new pair of shoes. Maximizers are rational just like Satisficers, but they differ in their dedication to meeting high standards. Maximizers should sit down and rationally sort life's decisions into two groups: important and unimportant. The important decisions are worthy of the Maximizer's dedication to research. One could think of the daily decisions make as small and seemingly unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Buying a house, moving to a new city, and deciding to get married should be considered important decisions that Maximizers should feel no guilt in looking for the very best.

Transitioning from a Maximizer into a Satisficer is a huge mental undertaking and my not be feasible. There is nothing wrong with being a Maximizer, if one is happy with their lifestyle. But since I am personally prone to over thinking decisions, I see the benefit in adopting Satisficer tendencies; I want more free time and less buyers remorse. By following these three simple techniques I believe me and my fellow Maximizers can learn to make smarter and more satisfying decisions.

Pinterest: How Ideas Turn Into Sales

My favorite social media outlet is Pinterest. Pinterest is an idea sharing social media platform that attracts more than 74 million users. 80% of users are females aged 25-44. With its huge consumer base, Pinterest is the most successful social media platform for driving product sales with an average order of $50.00. Let's explore why this platform is so successful for targeting consumers.

The first attribute of Pinterest that encourages purchases is that its interface matches the way consumers shop. It allows users to quickly save product ideas to boards, creating a lasting wishlist they use to visit product sources at anytime. 70% of online customers use Pinterest to get inspiration for future purchases. Pinterest boards allow consumers to revisit their saved ideas over and over again. It's the ability to look back at saved ideas that leads to 50% of all orders through Pinterest occurring 3.5 months after the ideas are saved. Once a product is saved to a board it has the potential to be purchased for as long as it is saved.



Pinterest's unique sharing community reinforces the purchase decision made by consumers. Users can follow a company on Pinterest and interact with other followers. Each day 2 million Pinterest users save product pins. Users can see when a pin they saved is repinned by another user.. Seeing others repin a pin she saved validates the value of the product and encourages purchase of that product. Repinning can spark a band wagon effect, if other pin this product then it must be good.

80% of Pinterest users use their mobile phones to interact with the site. Pinterest users follow retailers to seek information on deals, seek product information, read comments about products, and seek information about events. With its mobile presence, Pinterest is empowering online shopping from anywhere at anytime. Pinterest is the gateway that drives consumers to business websites when consumers are away from their computers.

Pinterest is inspiring its users to find product ideas and make them a reality. It's amazing to see how one social media platform can drive sales and brand loyalty through captivating visuals.

Magazine Ads: How Products Are Presented to Female Consumers

It's no secret that magazines contain an overwhelming amount of advertisements. Advertisements in women's magazines are known for creating a unique image for a brand through vivid imagery and enticing copy. Let's take a look at three advertisements from the women's fitness magazine Shape and determine how each is driving female consumer behavior and brand perception.

Using its cream colored bottle and wheat graphic, Aveeno has created a brand image centered around being natural.With its slogan, "Naturally Beautiful Results", Aveeno is a brand targeted toward the health conscious consumer. Featured in a glass case for preservation, the gentle scent lotion is portrayed as pure and fragile.This metaphor tells consumers that their skin is fragile and must be protected from everyday damaging environments. This glass case seems familiar.... where have I seen this before?
Oh wait I have.It looks like the glass case that preserved the rose in Beauty and the Beast. This mental image only reinforces my understanding of protecting something precious. It's memories like this that help consumers understand the messages of advertisements.

Another enticement for females to purchase this lotion was given Oprah Magazine's Spring Beauty Award. Well if Oprah, the queen of television, thinks this is a great product, then it must be. Seals of approval and awards alleviate some of the potential doubt consumers may have about a product.

And if consumers need more affirmation that this is a great product, then they can just read the paragraph below the image. Luckily, if one doesn't feel like reading the whole paragraph then its easy to spot the product benefits already enlarged and in bold. "Gentle Scent Body Washes for 2X the nourishment"....WOW. Individuals reading this ad may put this advertisement to their cognitive map for this brand, eventually resulting in a potential purchase.

Fiji water has always portrayed itself as a status symbol. It costs more than the average bottled water and has a recognizable square shape. In this advertisement, Fiji uses a blue tint to represent being underwater and a female in a yoga pose to represent health and serenity. The Fiji bottle is integrated into the yoga pose, suggesting Fiji fits into finding life's balance.The essence of this image reminds me of one of my favorite Zoolander movies quotes, "Wetness is the essence of beauty".

The copy of this advertisement uses rhyming words to convince female that this water can also be consumed in a gym setting. Though the copy points females toward consuming Fiji at the gym, it mainly addresses the issue of the square bottle. This advertisement seeks to bring awareness that the square bottle can fit in life's cup holders. Therefore, there should be no reason to not have Fiji water with you at all times. The water itself is imported from Fiji, giving female consumers a sense of adventure and extravagance. Consumers of this $2 water, not only gain hydration, but an elevated status.

Who knew life could be so exciting with tampons! This advertisement uses a girl riding a moped to portray the sense of adventure that is prevalent in the millennial audience. The copy challenges females to live life to the fullest even during their period. What's interesting about this ad is that it is using tampons as an empowerment tool. It is almost comical to think of tampons as confidence boosters. But this ad may resonate with females who feel confined and burdened during their period. Females who want to explore and be care free like this ad, will be inclined to purchase.

The picture of the Tampax box is displayed, so consumers will recognize it on their next walk down the feminine hygiene aisle. The advertisement also seeks to describe the products most important benefit, "the best protection". Not only is the advertisement's image and adventurous message appealing to female consumers, it also addresses the common concern of leakage.

The Year After Graduation: An Image Is Worth A Thousand Words

The Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) was created by Gerald Zaltman,a Harvard Business School professor. This technique takes a qualitative approach to research, asking participants to identify images that they consider relevant to a brand/product/concept. With this exercise the consumers' motives are reveled, providing greater insight into why they do what they do. 

Following the ZMET, my Consumer Behavior class was challenged to explore the literal and metaphorical meaning of photographs that displayed each student's perception of  The Year After Graduation. Selecting my 9 images for this exercise (pictured below) was relatively easy. I didn't think I had put much thought into my selections beyond the literal, but once my interview began, I found myself describing my perception of the year after graduation in terms of vivid metaphorical themes. 

To provide a bit of insight into my picture selections: 

The Pasta Dish I selected this picture to describe the fact that I will have to cook a lot more for myself after graduation. The deeper meaning behind the bowl of pasta is that I am well aware that there are many life skills that I need to learn in order to take care of myself. 

The Packed Car 
After graduation I will have to more than likely move to a different town or city for work, so this picture captures that change. What this picture also captures my apprehensive feelings toward the unknown. 

The Group of FriendsI plan on spending a lot of time with family and friends the summer after graduation. On a deeper level, I am very concerned about maintaining relationships with those close to me as life changes. 

The Girl in the Hammock
After school I plan on enjoying a lot of outdoor activities and adventures. What this picture really represents is my desire to relax after the four stressful years of college. 

The Solo Backpacker
I am planning on doing a lot of traveling the summer after graduation. I view it as a time to gain independence, as well as, learn about myself. 

The Office Girl
I look forward to working after graduation. With that comes the pressures of proving myself and building my career. 

The Money in the Nest
After graduation I will have to learn how to manage money and budget. Financial independence brings a lot of unknowns and anxiety. 

The Apartment
I am ready to experience living on my own. Though this may not actually be feasible, I am ready to take on that responsibility. 

The Skier
 I really enjoy skiing and it is something I would like to continue doing in the future. This picture also represents my desire to focus on finding a work/life balance. 

Through this experience I learned that images are powerful tools in understanding a person's perspective. When brought together for collaboration, common themes among students were present. In metaphorical terms the year after graduation was commonly described as change, unknown, freedom, independence, passion, new experiences, adventure, and the all encompassing "adulting". 

When asked to combine our thoughts the following cognitive maps resulted.

The team I was a part of (pictured first) decided to divide our thoughts about the future into 3 categories: priorities, goals, and feelings. The center of the target represented priorities, the next layer represented the goals that come from the priorities, and the last layer represented our personal feelings about the goals. What was interesting about this process was observing how different individuals in the group perceived certain items such as money, new experiences, happiness, etc. One individual would stick happiness in the priority section and then a few minutes later another individual would move it to the goal section. This observation made it apparent that concepts can mean different things to different people. Working with such a large team, roughly 10 people, required a lot of trial and error. We would try one layout and then realize that it didn't quite work for what we wanted, so we tried another layout and then another until we found a map that represented not only our thoughts, but also our feelings. 

My team created a massive target of thoughts, feelings, and expectations for the year after graduation. This giant wad on the whiteboard showed us that there isn't a direct path to follow and that there are a lot of decisions to be made along the way. The second team created a cognitive map that was a bit easier to follow, but grouped completely different. It was interesting to see that many similar ideas were present on the second teams diagram, but grouped in a completely different way. What I took away from this experience was that we all perceive the year after graduation differently and that there is no exact plan to follow. 

Female Consumerism: The Beauty Product Giant

Recently, I was flipping through the pages of Shape, a women's fitness magazine, when I discovered that the magazine contained very little fitness/health content. Essentially, I had paid $4.99 for a seemingly endless array of beauty product advertisements, whose bright colors and well crafted copy promised me shinier hair, whiter teeth, and longer lashes. I have always known that the Beauty Product Industry was large, but a quick google search revealed that it's more comparable to a giant, with revenue estimated to be $63 billion in 2016. This fact led me to wonder how many cosmetic products I own and how much money I am contributing to this $63 billion.

Since these eye opening experiences are more fun with friends, I asked three of my roommates (Emily, Erica, & Jenna) to also participate in a little experiment. We began by laying out the beauty products that we use on a daily basis (pictured first). Then we laid out every piece of makeup we had in our possession (pictured second). And finally, for the moment of truth, we counted how many of each beauty product we owned.

It's easy to see from these photos that as females we tend to own much more makeup than we actually consume on a daily basis. And with that said some women (Jenna) consider makeup a hobby and own considerably more makeup than other women. Totaled together, there are 7 face powders, 8 mascaras, 34 blushes, 34 foundations/concealers,47 eyeliners, 74 brushes, 124 lip products, and 495 eye shadows among us 4 girls. All of the make-up pictured above roughly equates to $3,000, with my own products roughly equaling $400. One wouldn't think that products so small could cost so much, but the price of cosmetics greatly depends on the quality of the product and the brand. To prove how expensive even average cosmetics are, take a look at some of Target's prices.

Even though Target provides fairly reasonable prices for its cosmetics, it is easy to see how makeup can quickly add up to hundreds and even thousands of dollars.

My roommates and I have added $3,000 or more to the beauty product industry. That's quite the hefty penny for college students. Cosmetics seem like an odd expense for college students that usually do not have a lot of money, so why are young college females spending so much on makeup? Well, 18 - 22 year old females are the most concerned about image and lifestyle trends and are often influenced by "what's hot and what's not". So it just may all come down to image.

In My Misspent Youth , Meghan Daum writes about her unstoppable spiral into debt during her young adult life in New York. To be an excellent journalist she felt she had to uphold an appearance of a high-end lavish life. This feeling that she had to maintain a certain image led to her often indulging in costly dinners, daily Starbucks, long distance phone calls, expensive schools, and living in New York City. This lifestyle Meghan tried to uphold led to much financial hardship not only in her youth, but later in life as well.

Young college females spend their money on makeup to maintain an image just like Meghan Daum. Whether that image is professionalism, maturity, or stylishness, college females are contributing greatly to the Beauty Product Industry's revenue. Interestingly, this type of spending is considered socially acceptable among women because makeup is no longer viewed as a want, but a need. With 80% of college students working while in school, it may be difficult for college females to responsibly maintain an image and proper finances. If my roommates and I are any indication, females tend to purchase more makeup than they actually need. Meghan's story is a cautionary tale for all college students that pour valuable money into maintaining a certain image without a second thought.