Are You a Maximizer or a Satisficer?

Put a number from 1 (“Disagree Completely”) to 7 (“Agree Completely”) next to each item.

  1. I often fantasize about living in ways that are quite different from my actual life.
  2. No matter how satisfied I am with my job, it’s only right for me to be on the lookout for better opportunities.
  3. When I am in the car listening to the radio, I often check other stations to see if something better is playing, even if I am relatively satisfied with what I’m listening to.
  4. When I watch TV, I channel-surf, even while attempting to watch one program.
  5. I often find it difficult to shop for a gift for a friend.
  6. When shopping, I have a hard time finding clothing that I really love.
  7. Renting videos is really difficult. I’m always struggling to pick out the best one.
  8. I treat relationships like clothing: I expect to try a lot on before finding the perfect fit.
  9. No matter what I do, I have the highest standards for myself.
  10. I never settle for second best.

Scoring:

Add up your score. A total of 35 to 50 suggests maximizer tendencies. A score of 50 or more indicates an extreme maximizer.

Quiz adapted from “Maximizing vs. Satisficing: Happiness Is a Matter of Choice,” by B. Schwartz, A. Ward, J. Monterosso, S. Lyubomirsky, K. White and D.R. Lehman. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2002, 83, 1178-1197.