### abstract ###
the present research investigated the relationship between individual differences in maximizing versus satisficing i e   seeking to make the single best choice  rather than a choice that is merely good enough and well-being  in interaction with the society in which an individual lives
data from three distinct cultural groups adults  drawn respectively from the u s n  NUMBER   western europe n  NUMBER   and china n  NUMBER   were analyzed
the results showed that  in societies where choice is abundant i e   u s and western europe  maximizers reported less well-being than satisficers  and this difference was mediated by experienced regret
however  in the non-western society china  maximizing was unrelated to well-being
although in china maximizing was associated with more experiences of regret  regret had no substantial relationship to well-being
these patterns also emerged for the individual facets of the maximizing scale  although with a notable difference between the u s and europe for the high standards facet
it is argued that  in societies where abundant individual choice is highly valued and considered the ultimate route to personal happiness  maximizers' dissatisfaction and regret over imperfect choices is a detrimental factor in well-being  whereas it is a much less crucial determinant of well-being in societies that place less emphasis on choice as the way to happiness
### introduction ###
autonomy and choice in individual decision making are highly valued in western societies
greater choice can provide two types of benefits
first  it can enable choosers to find exactly what they want
and  secondly  it can enhance their feeling of autonomy and freedom
nonetheless  various studies have recently cautioned that unlimited choice may come at a price and does not always benefit mental health and well-being  CITATION
in this regard  schwartz  CITATION  argued that  as options are added within a domain of choice  several problems may materialize
first  the process of collecting adequate and complete information about options makes choosing more laborious
second  as options expand  people's standards for what is an acceptable outcome rise
and thirdly  people may come to believe that any imperfect result is their fault  because  with so many options  they have no excuse for not getting the  right  one
ironically  however  the more options there are  the more likely it becomes that one does not choose the best option  CITATION
these problems have become especially relevant in contemporary western societies  where people are overwhelmed by near-unlimited options in all domains of life
in this regard  bellah  madsen  sullivan  swinder  and tipton  CITATION  already argued that people in western societies feel increasingly uneasy about their life decisions because they are unsure about whether they are making the right choices  and according to schwartz  CITATION   this  excess of freedom  p  NUMBER  has resulted in a dramatic increase in people's dissatisfaction with their lives and even in clinical depression
however  not everybody may be equally sensitive to the problems that come with exposure to an abundance of choice
it has been argued that people who always want to maximize the outcomes of their choices are most vulnerable to the negative effects of too much choice  CITATION
for these people  an excess of options becomes problematic because  to make sure they choose the optimal option  all information about each alternative has to be considered  which is often difficult or even impossible
moreover  there is likely to be a lingering doubt that the best option has nevertheless been missed  especially when it has not been possible to consider all options
hence  the potential for regret is ever present  because there is always the possibility that there is a better option  out there   and failing to find it means a failure to optimize personal satisfaction
on the other hand  people can approach choices differently  using a  good enough  strategy  in which any option that meets a certain threshold of acceptability is considered satisfactory
in this approach to choice  the individual does not have to consider all information about each option  the standards for what is acceptable are more modest meaning that several options can be satisfactory and these standards do not depend on the number of options because adding more options does not suddenly render a good option unacceptable
moreover  there is no failure in choosing a merely decent  but not perfect  option when adopting a  good enough  approach to choice
importantly  schwartz et al CITATION  found considerable  stable individual differences in people's dispositional tendency to use either a  good enough  strategy or a  maximizing  strategy
people on either side of this dispositional continuum have been labeled satisficers and maximizers  respectively  and the latter group is expected to be more vulnerable to the problems that arise from an excess of choice
indeed  various studies showed that maximizers experience higher levels of regret compared to satisficers and that they show lower levels of satisfaction with decisions  and lower levels of well-being more generally
