Maximiser or satisficer?

   Schwartz and colleagues (2002) used questionnaires to divide people into two groups: maximisers and satisficers. Maximisers were always looking for the best and satisficers were just looking for something suitable, anything. Maximisers often showed regret after buying something, because they were still having doubts whether they had really bought the best thing or maybe there was something better still out there, while satificers were less worried about something like that. Once they had found something to satisfy them, they were happy. Maximisers also often compared themselves with others, always wanting to be the best.
This was also shown with an experiment where participants had to solve series of anagrams next to another "participant", who in reality was the experimenter's confederate. Maximisers were feeling down and not happy with their own performance when the confederate was faster than them, but if the confederate was slower, there was no effect. Satisficers in contrast showed no sensitivity whether the confederate was faster or slower than them. Maximisers are also more likely to become depressed that satisficers, because they are more worried about their performance or whether the thing they buy is the best or not.
  Strangely enough, i think i used to be a maximiser, always wanting to be the best, often not even knowing, what the best was, just trying to compare with others and be better or same maybe. Even succeeding that, i did not feel particularly happy, still worried maybe i could do better. And on the times, when i did something not as well as others, i was really unhappy with myself and stressed. I'm not that much of a maximiser anymore, because i have learned to accept, that i cannot always be the best and people (my friends) accept me the way i am and like me anyway. I do feel happier generally than before, but in contrast, before i had the drive to do something i wanted, the motivation, now i sometimes find myself struggling to find that motivation. Or perhaps, i am depressed? No, i don't think so, just different than before and still thinking about what i had, who i was- couple of gold medals, a few silvers and lots of diplomas, publicly recognized young athlete, future olympic gold? and often in the newspaper, once on the front page. I think i was down for a long time after leaving that life. But now, my life is different, yet good and i'm in peace with myself and i do not always want to be the best anymore, which aslo enables me to feel really happy for others.